IN  MEJAOmAIA 
Dr.  TkllXfi  G,r^-f- 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2007 


http://archive.org/details/crofuttsnewoverlOOcrofrich 


i 


BY  ALL  ODDS 
THE 


BEST  EQUIPPED  :B^ 


LET  IT  IJE  FOKEVEU  KEMEAIBEKED  THAT  THE 


Chicag 


0  and  Northwestern 

Is  the  BEST  AND  SHORTEST  ROUTE  to  and  from  CHICAGO  AND 
COUNCIL  BLUFFS  (Omaha),  and  that  it  ig^preferred  by  all  well  posited 
travelers  when  passing  to  or  from 


CALI FORN I  A/GOLORADO! 

It  also  operates  the  BEST  ROUTE  and  the  SHORT  LINE  between 

Chicago  and  St.  Paul  and  Minneapolis 

Milwaukee,  La  Crosse,  Sparta,  Madison,  Fort  Howard  (Green  Bay), 

Wis.,  Winona,  Owatonna,  Mankato,  Minn.,  Cedar  liapids, 

Des  Moines,  Webster  City,  Algrona,  Marslialltowu, 

Clinton,  la.,  Freeport,  Elgin,  Kockford,  III. 

Are  amongst  its  800  local  stations  on  its  lines.    Among  a  few  of  the  nurtierous 
points  of  superiority  enjoyed  by  the  patrons  of  this  road,  are  its. 

Ifi  A  If  r n  A  P  WWSfe    Which  are  the  Finest  that  Human  Art 
HM^JL   %L^\J-M.t^M^m/.m  and  Ingenuity  can  creat e ;  its 

Fa.latia.1  Sleeping  Oars 

Which  are  Models  of  Comfort  and  Elegance ;  its 
Which  are  Unsurpassed  by  any ;  and  its  Widely  Celebrated 

NORTH-WESTEHN  DINING  CABS 

The  like  of  which  are  not  run  by  anv  other  road  anywhere.  In  short  it 
is  asserted  that  IT  IS  THE  BEST  EQUIPPED  ROAD  IN  THE  WORLD. 

All  points  of  interest  North,  Northwest  and  West  of  Chict^go,  busiiiess 
centres,  summer  resorts  and  noted  hunting  and  fishing  grounds  are  aijcersi- 
ble  by. the  various  branches  of  this  road. 

It  owns  and  controls  over  5,000  miles  of  road  and  has  over  four  hundred 
passenger  conductors  constantly  caring  for  its  millions  of  patrons. 

Ask  your  tiol^^t  agent  for  tickets  via  this  route,  and  TAKE  NONE 
OTHER.    AH  .jading  ticket  agents  sell  them.    It  costs  no  more  to  tr- vol  . vr , 

-is  route,.  /  it  gives  flrst-class  accommodations,  than  it  does  to  g 
..oorlv '-/dipped  roads. 

j^or  maps,  descriptive  circulars  and  summer  resort  papers,  or  othai  iu- 
formation  not  obtainable  at  your  local  ticket  office,  write  to  the  ' 

Go.iYl  Pass.  Agent,  C.  &  N.-W.  R'y,  CMcago,  IP 


OROFUTT'g' 

/   / 

Ne^w  Overland 

TOXJR-I^-dl^vV.    OF 

PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE,  ■ 

CONTAINING  A  CONDENSED  AND  AUTHENTIC  DESCEIPTION  OF  OVEB     . 

One  Thousand  Three  Hundred  Cities,  Towns,  Villages,  Stations,  Govern- 
ment Fort  and  Camps,  Mountains,  Lakes,  Kivers,  Sulphur, 
Soda  and  Hot  Springs,  Scenery,  Watering  Places 
and  Summer  Eesorts ;  where 

To  look  far  and  hunt  the  Buffalo,  Antelope,  Deer  and  otJier  game;  Trout  Fishing,  etc.,  etc.    In  fact, 

to  tell  you  what  is  worth  seeing— where  to  see  it — where  to  go — hmv  to  go — and 

whom  to  stop  with  while  passing  aver  the 

UN10f(,  KANS/\S,  mp^i  /ND  SOUTHEI^N  P/CIFIC  I^AlLt[0/DS, 

Their  Branches  and  Connections,  by  Bail,  Water  and  Stage, 

FROM  SUNRISE  TO  SUNSET,  AND  PART  THE  WAY  BACK; 

Through  Nebraska,  Wyoming,  Utah,  Montana,  Idaho,  Nevada,  Oalifomia, 
Arizona  and  New  Mexico. 

Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress  in  the  year  1883,  by  Thk  Ovebland  Publishing  Co.,  in  the 
oflace  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


BY    GrBZO.    J^.    CRO^UXT, 

AUTHOB     OF     "GBEAT     TBANS-CONTINENTAL     BAILBOAD    G^IDE,"    "CBOFUTT'S     TBANS-CONTINENTAIj 
TOUBIST"  AND  "CEOFUTT'S  GBIP-SACK  GUIDE  OF  COIiOBADO." 


1.83^. 


OMAHA,  NEB.  AND  DENVEB,  COL. : 
THE  OVERLAND  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 


Sold  by  News  Agents  on  the  Bailroads,  at  News  Stands  and  at  the  Book  Stores  throughout  the 

.  _  _  United  States. 

Baekalow  Beos.,  General  News  Agents,  Union  Pacific  Kailway  and  Branches ;  Missouri,  Kansas  & 
Texas  R.  R. ;  Kansas  City,  Ft.  Scott  &  Gulf  Bailway  ;  Kansas  City,  Lawrence  &  Southern  Eailway* 
Kailboad  News  Co.,  on  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe ;  the  Denver  &  Eio  Grande,  and  Burlington 
&  Missouri  in  Neb. 

Eiii  S.  Denison,  General  News  Agent,  Central  and  Southern  Pacific  Bailroads ;  General 
Agent  for  the  Pacific  Coast,  Sacramento  and  San  Francisco. 


leth  VoAiY^.^1884. 


PREFACE. 


T^^r^z, 


With  the  world  as  the  book  of  nature,  God  as  the  author,  and  the  Bible 
as  a  preface,  the  precedent  for  writing  a  preface  is  established^i  and  woej 
be  to  the  Scribe  who  ignores  precedent  and  custom— he  could  not  live  on] 
this  planet. 

At  the  present  day  the  preface  of  a  book  is  read  by  the  publ^  '-if  at  all 
—in  the  light  of  an  apology,  wherein  the  author  is  expected  t.  explain, 
first,  why  he  did  not  do  better,  and,  second,  why  he  wrote  at  all. 

FiKST— We  have  spared  neither  time,  pains  nor  money  to  make  this  a 
perfect  book.  Our  statements  are  concise,  ylaiUy  unadorned,  and,  we  be- 
lieve, truthful  in  every  particular.  Yet  we  should  shudder  at  the  charge 
of  being  absolutely  perfect 

Second— We  wrote  this  book  for  Money  and  Xove.  For  Moi^EY  to  help 
the  poor.  For  love  of  the  far  western  country— the  land  of  the  "  Golden 
Fleece."  For  love  of  its  broad  plains  and  lofty  mountains,  its  free  pure 
air,  healthful  climate,  magnificent  scenery;  unrivalled  resources,  and  its 
unaffected,  whole-souled  people. 

We  have  taken  the  traveler  with  us— in  a  chatty  way— on  the  longest 
trip  ever  attempted  by  any  author  in  any  guide  book  in  the  world,  and 
have  recorded  a  telegram  of  the  most  important  facts  and  items  of  inf (!rm- 
ationina  trip  of  over  15,000  miles  by  rail,  steamer  and  stage  coach.  We 
have  passed  over  the  longest  railroad  line  in  the  world,  the  broadest  plains, 
the  loftiest  mountains,  the  finest  agricultural  and  grazing  lands,  and  the 
most  barren  deserts ;  we  have  climbed  from  sunrise  to  eternal  snow,  only 
to  glide  down  into  perpetual  summer,  and  the  orange  groves  and  vine- 
yards of  the  *'Land  of  the  Angels." 

We  have  crossed  a  level  prairie  500  miles  in  width,  then  over  the  most 
rugged  mountains,  with  frightful  chasms  almost  beneath  us,  2,500  feet  in 
depth;  and  through  100  miles  of  snow  sheds  and  tunnels.  Again,  we  have 
stood  beneath  a  dome  rising  6,000  feet  above  our  heads,  and  trees  400  feet 
in  height,  and  48  feet  in  diameter;  have  strolled  amid  the  redwoods,  where 
they  grow  so  thick  that  were  they  felled  the  ground  would  be  covered  to  a 
depth  of  sixty  feet   We  have  passed  through  the  celebrated  Echo,  Weber, 


Humboldt  and  Solidad  cafions ;  over  the  great  Colorado  desert,  around 
"Cape  Horn"  and  the  ''Dead  Sea," down  the  Bitter  and  over  the  Green  and 
Black  waters,  echoing  near  the  "DeviVs  Slide  "and  the  great  **Sink"  of  the 
Desert;  descended  into  total  darkness,  with  jets  of  boiling  sulphur  on 
either  hand,  and  finally  through  the  Devil's  Gate,  but  landing  safely  at  the 
Golden  Gate. 

The  scenery  on  this  route  has  been  the  most  varied ;  we  have  8,242  feet 

above  f^nd  366  feet  below  sea  level;  have  taken  our  breakfast  amid  the 

^'now,  and  our  supper  in  a  land  of  perpetual  summer,  and  have 

o^^^v     down  from  far  above  "timber  line"  into  a  region  of  continuous 

bloom,  where  the  luscious  fruits  ripen  each  day' of  the  year. 

The  author  first  began  his  explorations  of  the  Trans-Mississippi  coun- 
try in  1860,  as  a  "  Pilgrim,"  and  upon  the  completion  of  the  Pacific  railroad 
line,  wrote  the ^rsi  descriptive  guide  of  the  roads— from  actual  observa- 
tion—the  "  Great  Trans-Continental  Eailroad  Guide  "  of  1869 :  Soon  "Cro- 
futt's  Tourist"  followed,  the  publication  of  which  was  continued  thereaf- 
ter. The  popularity,  of  these  books  was  so  great  that  the  sale  aggregated, 
infourteen  years,  over  500,000  copies. 

The  present  book  describes  more  than /our  times  the  extent  ot  coun- 
try of  i  ny  book  heretofore  published,  and  is'profusely  illustrated  by  nearly 
100  beautiful  engravings,  most  of  which  were  photographed,  designed, 
drawn  and  engraved  expressly  for  the  author  of  this  work.  It  also  con- 
tains V^mhest  and  most  complete  map— in  colors— ever  published,  the  plates 
of  whi^i  cost  over  $4,000. 

Annex— A  department  in  the  back  part  of  this  book,  originated  by  the 
author,  under  which  will  be  found  a  mass  of  condensed  information,  indi- 
rectly pertaining  to  the  subject-matter  of  this  work;  and  under  which  also 
contains  descriptions  of  the  large,  double-page  illustrations. 

From  the  first  issue  of  our  book,  in  1869,  imitators  have  been  numer- 
ous; no  less  than  thirty-one  "  Guide-books,"  "Tourists'  Hand-books"  and 
"Books  of  Travels  across  the  Continent," etc.,  etc., have  been  issued,  inost 
of  which  were  compiled  in  the  East— without  their  compilers  traveling  over 
one  foot  of  the  route,  or,  at  l6ast,  not  spending  more  than  a  few  days  on 
the  road— while  we  have  spent  the  best  part  of  every  year  since  1860  ac- 
quiring the  information— every  item  of  which  we  are  prepared  to  verify. 

To  some  "  correspondents  "  across  the  continent  our  books  have  proved 
an  unusual  "  God-send,"  enabling  them  to  minutely  describe  the  wonders 
of  the  trip  passed  in  the  night,  while  sleeping  soundly  in  a  palace  car, 
CstUally  as  well  as  though  they  \yere  awake  and  in  perpetual  daylight. 
Now  we  do  not  mean  to  complain  of  these  experimenter^,  as  they  are 
doubtless  "good  fellows,"  but  we  do  expect  the  courtesies  usually  ex- 
tended by  all  honorable  writers. 

GEO.  A.  CEOFUTT. 


7411)62 


INDEX    TO    ILLUSTRATIONS 


Jjaxge  Views. 

No. 

Ameidcan  Progress 1 

Big  Trees,  Fallen  Monarch.  6 

Cape  Horn,  Columbia  Biver  10 
Castellated  Rocks  at  Green 

Eiver 2 

Fort  Point,  Golden  Gate 4 

Falls  of  the  Yellowstone 8 

Falls  of  the  Williamette 9 

Mirror  Lake,  Yo-Semite 12 

Mt.  Shasta,  Cahfornia 15 

Nevada  Falls,  Yo-Semite...  13 

Sutter's  Mill  Race 3 

Steamboat  Rock,  Echo 6 

Summit  Sierras 14 

State  Capital  of  California. .  16 
San  Francisco  and  Surroud- 

ings 18 

The  Geysers,  California 17 

Valley  of  the  Yellowstone . .  7 

"Wood  Hauling  in  Nevada ...  11 

niustrations. 

Page. 

American  Ri.ver  Canon 130 

Bee  Hive  Geyser 24 

Burning  Rock  Cut 75 

Big  Mule  Team 28 

Bfigham  Young 89 

Brigham  Young's  Residence    97 

Bloomer  Cut 168 

Before  the  Railroad 115 

-Bird'sEyeviewof  the'Loop'  214 

Bird's  Eye  View  of  Plains . .    13 

-Crossing  the  Truckee  River.    73 

Cacti  Giganti 235 


Page. 

Crossing  the  "Loop" 215 

Cattle  Brands 254 

Crossing  the  "Range"  on 

Snow  Skates 60 

Devil's  Slide.Weber  Canon..    33 

Dale  Creek  Bridge 37 

Down  the  W  eber  River 46 

Donner  Lake  Boating  Party    98 
Devil's  Gate,  Weber  Canon..    75 

Eagle  Rock  Bridge 110 

Eagle  Gate 109 

Entering  the  Palisades 106 

Eureka 150 

Finger  Rock,  Weber 42 

Forest  View,  Foot  Hill 99 

First  Steam  Train 66 

First  Mountain  Express. . . .  152 

General  Offices  U.  P 23 

"Giantess,"  Geyser 113 

"Giant"  Geyser 146 

Hanging  Rock,  Am.  Fork. . .     15 
Hanging  Rock, Echo  Canon..    26 

mgh  School,  Omaha 29 

Humbolt  House 138 

Hydraulic  Mining 158 

Interior  View  Snow  Shed. . .    72 
Interior  View  Mormon  Tab- 
ernacle     85 

IndiansWatching  the  Pacifle 

Railway 233 

James  Bridger 77 

Leland  Standford,  C,  P.  R.  R  114 
Looking  up  at  Cape  Horn. . .  160 

Livermore  Pass  Tunnel 17'7 

Missouri  River  Bridge 22 

Monument  Rock,  BlackHills    44 
Mormon  Temple 92 


Pagh. 
Mormon  "  Holiness  to  the 

Lord" 01 

Map  of  Routes  in  California  120 
Orange  Grove  and  Palms ...    10 

Overland  Pony  Express 151 

One  Thousand  Mile  Tree. . .    84 

Profile  Map  U.  P.  Ry 35 

Packing  to  Virginia  City. ...  115 
Palisades  of  the  Humboldt..  68 
Pricky,  the  Horned  Toad. . .  81 
Pulpit  Rock,  Echo  Canon...  83 
Profile  Map  of  C.  P.  R.  R. . .  117 

Palace  Hotel 189 

Rounding  Cape  Horn 159 

Sidney  DlUon.  U.  P.  Ry 17 

Seal  of  California 150 

Steamer  "Solano" 186 

Summit  of  the  Mountains. . .     55 

Seals  and  Sea  Lions 65 

Snow  Galleries 67 

Starvation  Camp y.    71 

Snow  Sheds 143 

SeallRocks  &  Pacific  Ocean.  195 

San  Pedro's  Wife 223 

Three  Tetons 19 

"The  Grand,"  Geyser 104 

The  Santa  Ritas 239 

'Hie  Last  Spike 118 

The  Maden's  Grave 133 

Truckee  River 136 

Utah's  Best  Crop.. Frontispiece. 
Union  Depot,  Kansas  City . .     48 

Union  Depot  Hotel 20 

View  of  Salt  Lake  City 69 

Yo-Semite  FaUs 101 

Yucca  Palm 221 


GENERAL    IKDEX. 


Cities,    Towns,  Villa- 
•  gea  and  Stations. 

Page. 


Page. 

Athlone 210 

Anaheim 224 

Atkins 44 

Acampo 176lApplegate 163 

Acton 218  Archer 45 

Adams 43  Arcade 165 

Abilene 53  Aroyo 56 


Adonde 

Agate 56 

Alpha 130 

Alameda 181 

Alila 213 

Alpine 218 

AJda 34 

Alta 95-157 

AlkaB 

Altamont 179 

Alder 

Alma 

Alvin 27 

American  Fork. . . . 

Ames 31 

Andrews 220 

Andersons 144-170 

Antelope,  Neb 43 

Antelope,  Cal 165 

Antioch 172 

Antiech  Station..^..  179 
Anita 170 


Argenta 134 

Arimo 109 

j^rmstrong 50 

Aspen 79 

Ayburn 164 

Austin 135 

Aurora 

Bantas 178 

Bakersfield  . . : 2^3 

Battle  Creek.... ^...  109 
Battle  Mountain....  135 


Page. 

Benton 31 

Benicia 187 

Bennington 108 

Bernal 204 

Berenda 211 

-o-wa-we 133 

Bethany 178 

Barro 197 

Big  Spring 39 

Bingham 93 

Bitter  Creek 70 

Bishops 126 

BlackButtes 70 

Black  Rock 102 

Bxackfoot Ill 

B.oomfleld 163 

Bxue  Creek 116 

B  ue  Canon 157 


Page. 

Bronco 150 

Brigham 106-116 

Bridgei)ort 185 


Batavia 186  Bosler 

Berton 40Bowie 241 

Bavaria 53Bovlne 123 

Baxter 71BoxSprings 130 

Bealville 2l6BoxElder 56 


Belmont 204 

Bennett 56 

Beaver  Canon Ill 

BeUe  Marsh 109 

Belvoir 51 

Benson 239 


Boise 122 

Bonneville 116 

Boca 150 

Borden 211 

Brady  Island 37 

Brainard 27 


Bryan *..    76 

Bridger 78 

Brighton 173 

Brown's 140-145 

Brookville 64 

Brownson 41 

Brule 39 

Buckeye 170 

Buda 34 

Buck  Creek 51 

BunkerHiU 64 

BuUion 129 

Bums 44 

Butte 112 

Buford 67 

Bushnell 43 

BurUngame 204 

Buena  Vista 162 

Byers 66 

Cabazon 229 

Carson 147 

Carlyle 65 

Carquinez 137 

Cachisa 240 

Calistoga 197 


GENERAL    INDEX.  — Continuied. 


Cities,    Towns,    Villa- 
ges and  Stations 

CONTINtJED. 

Page. 

CaU'sFork 106 

CaUente 2j6 

Cana 170 

Cactus 230 

castle 176 

Camas Ill 

Cameron 217 

Cannon 185 

cascade 156 

castle  Rock 82 

CastroYille 208 

Carlin 128 

carter 77 

carbon 64 

Carbondale,  Kan. ...    51 

Carbondale,  Cal 175 

Carnadero 207 

Casa  Granda 236 

Camptonvllle 163 

cedar  Point 56 

cedar 125-131 

central  City 32 

Centerville 89 

Cbappel 41 

Cburch  Buttes 76 

Cbeyenne  Wells....    55 

Cheyenne,  Wy 45 

Chico.. 

Chualar 208 

Cbapman,  Kan 53 

chapman,  Neb .... 

Cicero 175 

Cbarlestown 240 

Clarkston 107 

Cisco 157 

Clay  Centre 

Clarks,Neb 

Clarks,  Nev 144 

Clear  Creek,  Cal 170 

Clear  Creek,  Neb 27 

Clipper  Gap 163 

Clifton 52-107-241 

Cloveidale 200 

Clyde 52 

Cluro 132 

CoUingston 107 

Colyer 55 

C.  H.  MiUs 159 

Colfax 161 

Colorado  Junction..    56 

Coin 137 

Coyote 

Contention 240 

Como 64 

Concordia 52 

Colusa 171 

Columbus 31 

Colton,  Neb 41 

Colton,  Cal 228 

Croydon 85 

Cooper  Jjake 

Corinne 116 

Cornwall 179 

Cottonwood 170 

Council  Bluffs 16 

Cozad 

Cheston,  Cal 185 

Creston,  "Wy 

Curtis 183 

Cucamonga 228 

Davisville 183 


Page. 

David  City 27 

Darrance 54 

Dana 65 

Decota 180 

Deeth 126 

Deming 242 

Deer  Creek 98 

Deep  Wells 130 

Denver  Junction ....    40 

Desert 142 

Deweyville 106 

Detroit 63 

Devil's  Gate 86 

Diamond 131 

Dixon 185 

DiUon 112 

Dix... 43 

Dexter 39 

Downejrville 163 

Donahue 198 

Dutch  Flat 157 

Dragoon  Summit 240 

Dos  Palmos 230 

Downey 224 

Draper 96 

Duncan's  Mill.s 203 

Duncan 

Dunham 

Echo 

Edwardsville 50 

Eagle  Rock Ill 

Ellis,  Cal 179 

Egbert 44 

Edson 65 

El  Casco , 

EUis,Kan 54 

Exlsworth 54 

Elko 7....  12 

Elk  Grove... 175 

Elm  Creek,  Neb 35 

Fhn  Creek 54 

Elmira 185 

Elkhorn 

Emigrant  Gap 157 

Empire,  Nev 147 

Emory 82 

Essex 150 

Evanston 80 

Evans,  Nev. 129 

Eureka 131-1*8 

Ewing 167 

Fairfield 185 

Fermont 60 

Farmington 88 

Flowing  WeUs .....'.  230 

Florin 1*75 

Fink's  Springs......  230 

Fillmore 68 

Folsom :..... 173 

Fort  Harker 64 

FortRiley 62 

Fort  Fred  Steele. . , 

Fort  Saunders 61 

Fowler 

Forest  City 163 

Franktown 145 

Franklin 108 

Fremont,  Neb 27 

Frisco 102 

Freeport 172 

Fresno 212 

Fulton 200 

Gait 175 

Garfield 103 


Page. 

Gannett 38 

Gardner  Pass 131 

Gey  serviUe 200 

Gerard 217 

Gibbon 34 

Gila  City 232 

Gila  Bend 234 

GUmore 25 

Gilroy 207 

Golconda 137 

Gold  Hill 148 

Gold  Run 158 

Gospel  Swamp 225 

Gorham 54 

Goshen 212 

Grainfield 55 

Granite  Point 140 

Grayling 112 

Grinnell 55 

Grangers 76 

Grants  ville 61 

Green  River 72 

Grass  Valley 162 

Gridley 169 

Greenville 67 

Granite  Canon 67 

Grand  Island 32 

Gurney  ville , 

HaUviUe 70 

Half-way  House 103 

Hallack 126 

Hamelton 131 

Hampton 77 

Hamlet 202 

Harney 69 

Harrisvillo 105 

Harper's 63 

Havens 32 

Hay  ward's 180 

Hay  Ranch 129 

Hays 64 

Healdsburg 200 

Hendrey 37 

Hillsdale 44 

HiUiard 79 

Hoge 60 

HoUester 207 

Honey  ville 106 

Hooker 170 

Hot  Springs 142 

Howard 203 

Howells 63 

Huffakers 144 

Humboldt 139 

Hugo 66 

Huron r...  212 

Hutton's 63 

Hyde  Park 108 

Hyrum 107 

Idaho,  Idaho 122 

Independence 124 

Indio 229 

Ii-onPoint 137 

lone 175 

Illinoistown 161 

lowaHUl 161 

Jossleyn.... 36 

Jordan 93 

Juab 101 

Julesburg 40 

Junction,  Poseville.  164 
Junction  City,  Kan. .    52 

Junction,  Cal 201 

Junction,  Utah 93 


„  Page. 

Kansas  City 49 

Kaysville 88 

Keen 216 

Kearney  Junction ...    84 

Kelton 122 

K.ingsburg 212 

tvingsville 52 

Kinney's 51 

Kit  Carson 66 

Knights  Landing.171-183 

Kress  Summit 162 

Lake 122 

Latham 70 

Laramie 61 

Lake  View 145 

Lava  Siding Ill 

Lawrence,  Kan 60 

Lawrenceburg 62 

Lake  Point lOS 

Lang 219 

Lathrop 178 

Leavenworth 60 

Lehi 96 

Lenape 60 

Lewistown 108 

Leroy 78 

Lerdo 213 

Lincoln,  Neb 2'? 

Lincoln 166 

Lin  wood 50 

Livermore 179 

Little  York 158 

Little  Cottonwood. . .     93 

Live  Oak 169 

Lockwood .,. .    82 

Lodge  Pole 41 

Lodi 176 

Logan 108 

Lomo 189 

Lookout 63-147 

Loray 124 

Lordsburg 241 

Lorenzo 180 

Loring 50 

Los  Angeles 220 

Lovelocks 140 

Lucin 123 

Maracopa 234 

Madera ...:..  211 

Madrono .  206 

Malad 1^7 

Mammoth  Tank. . .:, .  230 

Manhattan :..\.    52 

Market  Lane Ill 

Martinez 179 

Mariposa 210 

Marston 76 

Marysville 167 

Matlin .122 

Maxwell '37 

Mayfield 205 

McConnells 175 

McPherson,  Kan ....    53 

McPherson,  Neb ^7 

Mead 27 

Medicine  Bow €4 

Medina 51 

Meb-ose,  Cal 181 

Melrose,  Mon 112 

Menlo  Park 205 

Me-no-kew 62 

Mendon 107 

Mercede 210 

Mercer 27 


GENERAL    I  N  D  EX .  — Co  n  t  i  nued  . 


Cities,    Towns,    Villa- 
g:es  and  Stations. 

continued. 

Page 

Mescal 23« 

Mesquite 230 

Michigan  Bar 175 

Midway I'i9 

MUbra 204 

MiUard 26 

Milford,  Kan 52 

Millord,  Utah 101 

MiUCity 139 

Mill  Station 145 

Millis 80 

Millville 107 

Mineral 130 

Mirage,  Colo 66 

Mirage,  Nev 142 

Miser 63 

Mississippi  Bend. ...  172 

Modesto 210 

MoneU 70 

Monida Ill 

Mojava 217 

Mono 100 

MonteUo 

Monterey 

MontpeUer 109 

Monument 122 

Moore's 124 

Moore's  Summit. ...    60 

Monte 227 

Moleen 128 

Mokelumne 175 

Morano 210 

Morganville 62 

Mound  House 148 

Murphys 195 

Mystie 150 

Natividad 224 

Nadeau 217 

Napa 196 

Nevada,  Cal 163 

Napa  Junction. .  .185-196 

N.E.Mills 163 

Newton 107 

NewhaU 219 

Newport 224 

Newman 61 

New  Castle 164 

New  Cambria 53 

Kelson 

Nephi 101 

Nichols 

Niles  Junction 64 

Niles 180 

North  Platte 

North  Bend 31 

Nord 170 

North  San  Juan 163 

Norwalk 224 

Oakland,  East 182 

Oakland,  Wharf 189 

Oakland 182 

Oak  Knoll 197 

Oakville 197 

Odessa 35 

O'PaUons 39 

Ogalalla 39 

Ofiden,  Kan 62 

Ofcden,  Utah 87 

Olema 202 

Omaha 23 

jOmbey 122 


Page. 

Oreana 140 

Oroville 167 

Osino 127 

Otto -66 

Otego 124 

Overton 35 

Oxford 107-109 

Painted  Rocks 234 

Palisade 129 

Pantano 239 

Pajaro 207 

Paradise 107 

Paris 108 

Payson 100 

Paddock 32 

Plum 36 

Papillion 25 

Peru 75 

Petaluma 199 

Petersons 86 

Percy 64 

Pequop 124 

Perry  ville 51 

Peko 126 

Pinole 188 

PortNeuff 109 

Pasadena 225 

Piedmont 79 

Picacho, 

Pilot  Knob 230 

Pine  Station 130 

Pino 164 

PineBluffs 43 

Puente 

Piute 137 

PlacerviUe 11^ 

Pleasanton 180 

Pleasant  Grove 

Pltmi  Creek 

Pomona 227 

Point  Rocks 70 

Potter 42 

Proctors 150 

Pressor  Creek 150 

Provo 

Providence 107 

Promontory 117 

Pyramid 241 

Quarry 116 

Raspberry 139 

Ravena 219 

Rawling 67 

Reeds 167 

RedButtes 60 

Redwood  City 204 

Redding 170 

RedBlufifs 170 

Red  Desert 70 

Red  Dog 158 

Red  Rock 112-236 

Reno,  Kan 50 

Reno.  Nev 144 

Rio  Vista 172 

Riverside 27-111 

Richmond 108-240 

Richland,  Kan 61 

RiUito 236 

Ripon ,.  210 


RoseCreek 139Bonoma 


Rock  Creek 63 

Rock  Springs,  Kan. .  64 
Rock  Springs,  Wy ...  71 
Rocklia 164 


Page. 


Page. 


Ross  Fork 

Roscoe , 

Rossville 52 

Rozel 121 

Rye  Patch 139 

Rutherford 197 

Russel 64 

Savanna 227 

Salt  Lake 90 

Sacramento 165 

Santa  Monica 221 

Santa  Ana 224 

Santa  Clara,  Cal 205 

Santa  Cruz 205 

Santa  Rosa 199 

San  Leandro 180 

San  Pablo 188 

San  Simon 241 

San  Bruno 204 

San  Miguel 204 

San  Gabriel 226 

San  Fernando 220 

San  Francisco 190 

Juan,  S 207 

San  Juan,  N 163 

San  Rafael 201 

San  Quintin 201 

San  Jose 206 

San  Joaquin 227 

San  Mateo 204 

San  Diego 224 

San  Juan  Capistrano  225 

San  Bernardino 228 

San  Gktrgonio 229 

SaUda 210 

SaltWells 71 

SaUna,  Kan 63 

Sahnas 208 

Sandy 94 

Salvia 144 

Sargents 207 

Santaquin 100 

Sand  Creek 218 

Seco 122 

Sesma 170 

Separation 68 

Sepulveda 220 

Sentinel 234 

Seven  Palms 229 

Schuyler,  Colo 66 

Schuyler,  Neb 31 

Sheridan,Cal 167 

Sheridan,  Kan 65 

Sherman 67 

Shoshone 134 

Shady  Run 157 

Silver  Lake.... 

Shelton 34 

Silver  Creek 32 

Silver  City,  Nev 148 

Silver  City,  Idaho...  122 

Siegel 61 

Sidney 41 

Silver  Station 148 

Simpson 64 

Sole<Jad 

Soto 170 

Solon 68 


Rogers 31  St.  Mary's. 


Spriugfleld 108 

SpringviUe 100 

Spring  Hill Ill 

Spanish  Fork 100 


109  St.  George 51 

'"  St.  Helena 197 

Stevenson 35 

Stein's  Pass 241 

Steamboat  Springs..  145 

Storms 162 

Stormsburg 27 

Stockton,  Cal 176 

Stockton,  Utah 104 

Stone  House 137 

Stranger 50 

Strong's  Canon 155 

Spadra 227 

Stanwix 234 

Suisun 185 

Solomon 63 

Solano 187 

Sunmiit,  C.P 155 

Summit,  U.  N 107 

Sumner 213 

Summit,  E.  &  P 131 

Summit  Siding,  Kan    54 
Summit  Siding,  Neb    25 

Sunol 180 

Swan  Lake 109 

Table  Bock 70 

Tamarack 157 

Tamalpais 201 

Taylorsville 202 

Tecoma 123 

Tehamma 170 

Tennants 206 

Terra  Cotta 64 

Terrace 123 

Tehachapi 217 

Texas  HUl 234 

Thompson 196 

Thayer 71 

Thumel 32 

Tie  Sicxing 69 

Tipton,  U.P 70 

Tipton,  C.P 213 

Tiblow 60 

Tooele  City 103 

Tomalea 202 

Tombstone 240 

Toano 124 

Tocoluma 202 

Toltec 236 

Topeka 61 

Tortuga 230 

Tonganoxie 50 

Truckee 150 

Tracy,  U.P 44 

Tracy,  C.P 178 

Transfer  Grounds ...    20 

Tres  Pinos 207 

Tremont 184 

Tryone  Mills 203 

Tucson 236 

Tulasco 126 

Tulare 213 

Tule 137 

Uintah 86 

Yuma  City 246 

Yuba  Station 167 

Yuba  City 168 

Y»u  Bet 158-162 

YoutsviUe 197 

York 100 

Valaparaso 27 

Valley  Ford 202 

Valona 187 

Vallejo  Junction ... .  187 


198 


52 


GENERAL    I  N  D  E  X  .  — C  on  t  inued 


Cities,    Towns,    Villa- 
ges and  Stations. 

contint7ed. 

Page. 

Valley 27 

VaUejo 185 

Verdi 150 

Vina 170 

Virginia  Dale 80 

Visalia 212 

Vista 144 

Virginia  City,  M . . . .  113 
Virginia  City,  N  ....  148 
Victoria.. 54 


Page. 

Wa-Keeney 53 

Walker 54 

Wakefield 52 

Wallace 54 

Wamego 52 

Wadsworth 142 

Wasatch,  Wy 81 

Wasatch.  Utah 94 

Wash-a-kie 70 

Washoe 145 

Wahoo 27 

Waterloo 27 

Watsonville 207 

Warren 36 

Washington 183 


Weber  Quarry. 

Weber 

Webster 

Walters 

Wells 

WellsviUe 

Weston 

White  Plains. . . 

Wheatland 

Whitney 

Wild  Horse 

Winnamucca... 
Wilmington.... 

Windsor 

Willard 


Page. 

...  107 


183 
229 
125 
107 
107 
142 
167 
166 
66 
137 
223 
200 
105 


„T.„  Pagb. 

WUkms 71 

Willards 129 

Wilcox 64-240 

Williams,  Mon. . .  111-184 

Willow  Island 36 

Wood's  Crossing 89 

Wier 40 

Willson's 64 

Williamson. 51 

Wolcotts 66 

Woodland 183 

Wood  River 34 

Wyoming 58 

Wyandotte 50 

Yuma 230 


U.  S.  Forts  and  Camps 

Page. 

Omaha  Barracks 24 

Camp  at  Sidney 42 

CampLoweU 238 

Camp  Bowi 240 

FtrKearny 34 

Ft.  McPherson 37 

Ft.  Douglas 92 

Ft.  Sedgwick 40 

Ft.  Morgan 43 

Ft.  D.  A.  Russell, 46 

Ft.  Larimie 46 

Ft.  Fetterman 46 

'Et.  Casper 46 

Ft.  Reno 46 

Ft.  Phil.  Kearney 46 

Ft.  C.  F.  Smith 46 

Ft.  Saunders 61 

Ft.  Yuma 231 

Ft.  Fred  Steele 66 

Ft-Bridger 77 

lt.Halleck 126 

Ft.Riley 52 

Ft.Harker 54 

Ft.  Wallace 55 

Ft.  Hall Ill 

Mare  Island 185 

Mineral  and  Medical  Springs. 
HOT  AND  COLD. 

Pages 67,    71,    76,    79, 

, 89,    90,    96,  101, 

102,  105,  106,  112, 

113,  127,  133,  134, 

, 137,  142.  145,  156, 

184,  196,  198,  199, 

200,  207,  209,  230, 


Kailroads. 

Page. 

American  Fork 96 

Amadore  Branch 175 

Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa 

Fe 240-242 

Bingham  Canon 93 

Burlington  &  Missouri 32-34 

BlackHills    "         32 

Carbondale  Branch 51 

Central  Pacific 115 

Carson  &  Colorado 148 

Cahfornia  Pacific 183 

California  Northern 167 

Denver  &  Rio  Grande  West- 
ern     67 

Echo  «&  Park  City 83 

Eureka  &  Palisade 129 

Fremont  &  Elkhorn 29 

Grand  Island  &  St.  Paul  Br .    33 


Page. 
Junction  City  &  Ft.  Kearny    52 

Kansas  Pacific 49 

Los  Angeles  &  Independence  221 
Leavenworth,  Lawrence  & 

Galveston 51 

Leavenworth  Branch 50 

North  Pacific  Coast 200 

Northern 184 

Nevada  Central 135 

New  Railways 104 

Nevada  County Kil 

Oregon  Short  Line 70 

Republican  Valley 27 

Sioux  City  &  Pacific 27 

Santa  Cruz 207 

San  Pablo  &  Tulare 178 

SanFrancisco&NorthPacific  198 

Sacramento  Valley 173 

Southern  Pacific 203 

Stockton  &  Visalia 176 

Stockton  &  Copperopolis 176 

San  Diego  Railroad 224 

Salina  &  Southwestern 63 

South  Pacific  Coast 205 

St.  Joseph  &  Denver 33 

Solomon  Railroad 53 

UnionPacific 18 

Utah  Central 88 

Utah  Southern 92 

Utah  Western 102 

Utah  «fe  Northern 105 

Virginia  &  Truckee 144 

Wasatch  &  Jordan  Valley . .    94 

Western 100-104 

Wilmington  Div 223 

Annex  Index. 

Page. 

No.  1  American  Progress. . .  243 

"      2  Passage  Ticket  Mem.  243 

«      3  Baggage  Check     '•      243 

"      4  Rates  of  Fare 244 

"      5-  Our  Western  Country  244 

"      6  High  School 248 

"  7  First  Steam  Train...  56 
"      8  The  Madrone  Tree ...  164 

"      9  The  Manzanita 164 

"    10  JackSlade 248 

"    13  Snow  Difficulties 249 

"  15  State  Capital  of  Cal. .  173 
"  16  Castellated  Rocks ...  72 
"  17  Memories  of  Ft.Brid'r  249 
"    18  Hanging  Rock,  Utah.    97 

"    19  Steamboat  Rock 250 

"    20  Paddy  Miles'  Ride. . .  250 

"    21  Salt  Lak,e 251 

"    22    •'  •'     251 

"    23  Discov'y  of  Calif or'a.  226 


Page. 

No.  23  The  Coast  Range  ....  226 

"    23  The  Rainy  Season...  226 

"    24  Hauhng  Ore  in  Hides  146 

"    25  Life  of  Bigham  Young  251 

"    26  National  Park 252 

"  27  Ocean  Steamships . . .  253 
"  28  Col.  Hudnut's  Survey  253 
"    29  Western  Stock  Rais'g  254 

"    30  The  Great  Cave 255 

"    31  Nevada  Falls 209 

"    32  Pioneer  Mail 218 

"    33  The  Donner  Pai-ty . . .  256 

"    34  Roll  'Em  Through 256 

"  35  Val.  oftheYellows'e.  257 
"    36  Falls    "  •'  257 

"    37    "         "      Willi'ette.  215 

"    38  Cape  Horn 232 

"    39  Wood  Hauling 232 

"    40  Mirror  Lake 209 

"    41  Pony  Express 151 

"    42  Sierra  NevadaMoun's  138 

„    43  Mt.  Shasta 214 

„    44  Woodward  Gardens  .  257 

„    45  The  Geysers 184 

„    46  Bird's  Eye  View 214 

„    47  Ancient  Ruins .......  257 

„    48  Painted  Rocks 258 

u    49  Viewing  Progress ....  258 

„    50  Palace  Hotel 258 

„    52  "Pri<ikey" 126 

„  63  Route  to  Y'o-Semite. .  184 
„  55  The  "Boss  Cactus". . .  184 
„  58  Sacramento  Depot...  173 
„    63  Mammoth  SnowPlow  126 

„    64  Arizona 259 

„    65  EmigrantSleepigCars  260 

a    66  Black  Hills  R.  R . . . . .  261 

Miscellaneous. 

Page. 

Cala«reras  Big  Trees 176 

Celif ornia  Windmills 175 

Down  the  Sacramento 172 

Excursions  No.  1 193 

"    2 196 

"    3 198 

"    4 200 

"    5 203 

First  Gold  Discovery 174 

Hints 14 

Humboldt  WeU 125 

Laramie  Plains 61 

Yo-Semite   Valley  and  Big 

Trees 212 

Montana 112 

New  Alemaden  Quick- Silver 

Mines 206 

Sutro  Tunnel 148 


ill^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 


Ocean  to  Ocean, 
overland. 


I 


Around  the  Circle 


Sunrise— As  the  city  of  Halifax,  in 
the  Province  of  Nova  Scotia  and  Do- 
minion of  Canada,  is  the  extreme 
eastern  terminus  of  the  grand  system 
of  North  American  railways,  which 
extend  from  its  Atlantic  portal  across 
the  continent  3,646  miles  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, its  Pacific  brother,  it  would 
seem  to  be  the  most  proper  point  in 
the  East  from  which  we  should  first 
start  on  our  journey  with  the  tourist 
or  emigrant  for  the  same  destination. 

At  Halifax,  the  morning  sun,  as  it 
rises  from  its  apparent  cold  water  bath 
in  the  broad  ocean  on  the  east,  casts  its 
golden  rays  down  upon  the  first  rail- 
track  that  spans  a  continent,  and  from 
the  moment  the  li^ht  strikes  these  iron 
bands  of  civilization  and  progress,  it 
seems  to  follow  them  up,  step  by  step, 
through  populous  cities,  over  mighty 
rivers,  across  broad,  treeless  plains, 
and  towering  snow-capped  moun- 
tains, on,  on!  toward  the  tropical  re- 
gions of  the  Orient.  Every  foot  of  the 
route,  every  object  of  interest  or  be- 
ing is  minutely  inspected,  while  roll- 
ing over  to  its  daily  bath,in  the  mighty 
Pacific  Ocean  of  the  West.  Our  course 
is  in  the  same  general  direction,  but 
our  time  will  be  slower;  as  we  shall 
linger  by  the  way,  and  shall,  after  no- 
ting the  principal  routes  east  of  the 
Missouri  Iliver,  take  the  travelerwith 
us  over  the  Union,  Kansas,  and  Cen- 
tral Pacific  railroads  to  the  Pacific 
coast — sunset;  thence  eastward  over 
the  Southern  Pacific  via  Los  Angeles, 
Yuma,  Tucson,  through  Arizona  and 
New  Mexico,  back  toward  sunrise. 


making  a  grand  circle,  one  continuous 
run  by  rail  of  over  4,000  miles,  which, 
with  the  numerous  side  tours  by  rail, 
steamer  and  stage,  will  comprise  full 
15,000  miles  of  travel. 

Come  along  with  us !  but  first  dis- 
card the  dress-coat  of  style,and  put  on 
the  wrapper  of  simplicity  and  ease ; 
fill  your  purse  with  coin,  open  your 
eyes  and  let  us  learn  something  of  the 
extent,  riches,  varied  resources,  gran- 
deur and  wonders  of  what  was  a  few 
years  ago  known  only  as  the  "  Great 
American  Desert." 

We  shall  first  take  a  run  over  the  va- 
rious Eastern  branches  of  the  Union 
Pacific,  the  "Denver  Short  Line"  in- 
cluded, interview  the  noted  gold  fields 
of  the  Black  Hills  of  Dakota  and  climb 
to  the  summit  of  their  namesakes  of 
Wyoming,  the  highest  station  on  the 
road,  where  we  can  look  off  into  the 
great  State  of  Colorado,with  her  mag- 
nificent mountain  ranges,  peaks, 
parks  and  mineral  wonders.  Then, 
after  whirling  over  the  broad  plains  of 
Laramie,  we  shall  mount  to  the  sum- 
mit of  the  "Rockies,"  and  maybe,amid 
the  clouds,  stand  astride  the  great 
Continental  Divide. 

Descending,  we  rattle  through  the 
canons  of  Echo,Weber  and  the  Devil's 
Gate  to  the  land  of  Zion,  where  moth- 
ers-in-law and  white-haired  babies 
are  in  the  majority. 

We  shall  glance  at  the  resources  of 
the  territory  and  spin  all  over  Utah  by 
the  various  railroads,  visit  the  noted 
mines,  temples,  tabernacles  and  Mor- 
mon wonders,  ascend  to  the  "  Mount 


12 


crof¥tt's  new  overland  tourist 


of  Prophecy,"  bathe  iiithe"Dead  Sea," 
interview  the  famous  soda  and  hot 
springs,  snatch  a  rose  from  the  garden 
of  the  Prophet,  then  bound  away  to 
the  northward  over  the  Utah  &  North- 
ern to  Montana ;  again  scalo  the  great 
mountain  divide  and  take  a  peep  at 
the  Yellowstone  National  Park,  the 
lakes,  springs,  geysers,waterfalls,  etc. 
— the  "  wonderland." 

We  will  stand  by  the  spot  where  the 
"last  spike"  was  driven,  which  united 
the  East  and  the  West  by  iron  bands, 
and  over  where  the  "ten  miles  of  track 
was  laid  in  one  day;"  we  shall  run 
along  beside  Salt  Lake,— the  great 
dead  sea, —  down  the  Humboldt,  and 
over  the  Eureka  &  Palisade  railroad 
to  the  Eureka  and  White  Pine  country 
The  "Palisades,"  as  well  as  the  "Lake" 
and  the  "  Sink  "  of  the  Humboldt  will 
be  visited,  as  also  the  "Keese  River 
Country,"  Nevada  Desert,and  the  hot, 
spurting  springs  of  Nevada.  We  shall 
visit  the  most  noted  silver  country  in 
the  world  —  Virginia  City,  Gold  Hill 
and  Carson,  via  the  Virginia  &  Truc- 
kee  railroad ;  we  will  take  a  trip  over 
Lake  Tahoe  and  fish  in  Donner;  as- 
cend the  Sierras  and  roll  through  more 
than  fifty  miles  of  snow  sheds  and  tun- 
nels, one  continuing  for  28  miles.  Then 
around  "  Cape  Horn  "  and  to  the  old 
mining  towns  of  Grass  Valley  and  Ne- 
vada, over  the  Nevada  County  Nar- 
row Gauge  railroad,  one  of  the  finest 
in  the  world.  We  will  take  a  run  all  ov- 
er California,  visit  the  "Big  Trees," 
Yo-Semite  Valley,  the  "  Geysers," 
*'  Redwood  Forests,"  "  Seal  Rocks," 
**Quicksilver  Mines,"  SantaCruz, San- 
ta Barbara,  Monterey,  Calestoga,  and 
the  grape  vineyards  and  wine  cellars 
of  Sonoma  and  Napa  counties.  We 
will  visit  Mount  Shasta  and  the  Upper 
Sacramento  Valley;  Coloma,  where 
gold  was  first  discovered;  Mt.  Diablo, 
the  lofty  peak  of  the  Contra  Costa,and 
Mt.  Tamalpais,  the  huge  sentinel  of 
the  Coast  Range,  at  the  Golden  Gate, 
where  we  are  apparently  near  sunset. 
After  taking  a  nasty  glance  at  Oregon 
and  the  Columbia  River,  we  shall  di- 
rect our  course  south  and  eastward, 
toward  Sunrise,  up  the  great  San  Joa- 
quin Valley,  over  the  "  Loop  "  of  the 
''^Tehachai^ie  Pass,"  and  out  on  the 
great  "Mojave  Desert,"  rolling  down 
the  infamous  Soledad  Canon,— the 


"Robbers'  Roost,"— and  through  the 
San  Fernando  Mountains,  out  into  the 
valley,  and  to  the  "  city  of  the  angels," 
Los  Angeles,  with  its  tropical  fruits, 
orange  orchards,and  eternal  summer. 

From  Los  Angeles  we  shall  "take  in" 
Santa  Monica— a  charming  watering 
place  —  and  around  to  Wilmington 
Harbor,  where  we  can  interview  the 
"Woman  of  the  Period."  We  will  visit 
Santa  Ana,  San  Barnerdino,  Ana- 
hine.  Riverside,  and  not  forget  the 
"Gospel  Swamp."  At  San  Gabriel  we 
will  find  the  oldest  Mission  building 
on  the  coast  in  ruins ;  where  orange 
trees  are  over  100  years  old  and  loaded 
down  with  the  golden  fruit.  We  will 
have  a  run  through  the  great  vine- 
yards and  fruit  orchards  of  this  tropi- 
cal region,  inspect  the  mammoth  cac- 
tus pads  and  the  huge  palm  trees. 
"Progress"  from  this  point  turns  more 
to  the  Eastward.  We  will  follow  its 
track  and  pass  over  the  San  Barnerdi- 
no mountains,  and  descend  into  the 
"  Great  Colorado  Desert,"—  rolling 
down,  down  to  the  sea  level,  where  one 
would  suppose  "  Progress  "  would  na- 
turally stop,  unless  she  had  a  boat  or 
a  diving  suit ;  but  no,  our  train  starts 
again  downward;  ye  gods!  down, 
down  we  go,  under  the  sea  level  two 
hundred  and  sixty -six  feet,  where  sul- 
phur springs,  mud  ge^^sers,  salt  and 
many  other  kinds  of  springs— both  hot 
and  cold—SLTe  very  numerous,  forcibly 
reminding  one  of  the  "  old  version  -, 
but,  as  our  modern  teachers  have  done 
away  with  that  old  "bugaboo,"  we  suj)- 
pose  they  would  not  hesitate  to  visit 
with  us  this  remarkable  and  very  in- 
teresting region,  and— gather  a  .speci- 
man. 

Let  us  see,  we  are  living  in  a  fast  age ; 
the  sun  makes  very  good  time,  but 
"Old  Sol"  is  aged,  has  run  in  the  same 
old  groove  for  too  many  years  to  re- 
tain much  of  the  spirit  of  Progress.  It 
is  within  the  memory  of  many,  how 
Morse,with  his  lightning,  beat  the  old 
luminary,  and  we  are  now  "talking  all 
around  him."  Steam  on  the  rail  is  next 
in  speed ;  ^'  one  mile  a  minute  "  is  not 
uncommon.  The  trip  from  New  York 
to  San  Francisco,  a  distance  of  3,296 
mileSjWas  commenced  June  1, 1877,  by 
Jarret  &  Palmer,  on  a  special  train, 
and  the  run  made  in  83  hours,  53  min- 
utes, and  45  seconds,  an  average  ol 


AXD    PACIFIC   COAST   GUIDE. 


18 


bird's   eye   view  of  the   plains,   from  LOUP   FORK   RIVER.  1869. 


S9  miles  an  hour  including  stops.  Sol 
must  look  sharp,  or  steam  will  also  beat  him 
in  the  race. 

West  to  the  Missouri  River — We 
shall  not  attempt  a  minute  description 
of  the  various  railroad  and  steamboat 
routes,  east  of  the  Missouri  River.  Each 
possesses  its  own  peculiar  attractions,  a  few 
of  which  will  be  briefly  noted  hereafter. 

Passengers  from  the  Eastern  Atlantic 
sea-board,  contemplating  a  trip  to  the  Pa- 
cific coast,  or  the  trans-Missouri  country- 
bordering  the  great  Pacific  railroad,  can 
have  their  choice  of  five  through  "Trunk 
Lilies,"  four  American  and  one  Canadian, 
which  find  their  way  by  different  routes,  to 
a  connection  with  the  Union  Pacific  rail- 
road, on  the  east  bank  of  the  Missouri 


River,  midway  between  Council  Bluffs 
and  Omaha. 

These  five  lines  are  the  New  York  Cen- 
tral and  Hudson  River  railroad,  the 
Erie  railway  line,  the  Pennsylvania 
Central,  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  railroad, 
and  the  Grand  Trunk,  of  Canada. 

The  railroad  connections  by  these  lines 
are  almost  innumerable,  extending  to  al- 
most every  city,  town,  and  village  in 
nearly  every  State  and  Territory  in  the 
United  States  and  Dominion  of  Canada ; 
the  regular  through  trains  of  either  line 
make  close  and  sure  connections  with  the 
Pacific  road,  while  the  fares  are  the  same. 
Sleeping  cars  are  run  on  all  through  trains 
— most  luxuriant  palaces.  The  charges 
are  extra,  or  about  $3  per  day— 24  hours. 


14 


CROFUTT'S   NEW   OVERLAND   TOURIST 


Only    first-class  passengers  can    procure 
berths  in  the  sleeping  cars. 

HINTS  BEFORE  WE  START. 

1.  Provide  yourself  with  Crofutt's  New 
Overland  Tourist,  and  then  be  particular 
to  choose  such  routes  as  will  enable  you 
to  visit  the  cities,  towns,  and  objects  of 
interest  that  you  desire  to  see,  without  an- 
noyance or  needless  expense. 

2.  Greenbacks  are  good  everywhere,  so 
there  is  no  longer  any  necessity  of  chang- 
ing them  for  gold. 

3.  Never  purchase  your  tickets  from  a 
stranger  in  the  street,  but  over  the  counter 
of  some  responsible  company.  When 
purchasing  tickets,  look  well  to  the  date, 
and  notice  that  each  ticket  is  stamped  at 
the  time  you  receive  it.  Then  make  a 
memorandum  on  the  blank  in  the  Annex 
No.  2,  of  your  Guide  Book,  of  the  name  of 
the  road  issuing  the  ticket,  destination  of 
ticket,  form,  number  of  ticket,  consecutive 
number,  class  and  date.  In  case  you  lose 
your  ticket,  make  known  the  fact  at  once 
at  the  oflSce  of  the  company,  showing  the 
memorandum  as  above  described,  and  steps 
can  be  taken  immediately  to  recover  the 
ticket,  if  lost  or  stolen,  or  to  prevent  its  be- 
ing used  by  any  one  else.  By  attention  to 
Buch  slight  ana  apparently  unimportant 
matters  as  these,  travelers  may  recover 
their  loss  and  save  themselves  much  in- 
convenience. 

4.  Before  starting  out,  provide  yourself 
with  at  least  one-third  more  money  than 
your  most  liberal  estimate  would  seem  to 
require,  and  do  not  lend  to  strangers  or  be 
induced  to  play  at  their  games,  if  you  dOy 
you  will  surely  he  robbed. 

5 .  Endeavor  to  be  at  the  depot  at  least 
fifteen  minutes  before  the  train  leaves, 
thereby  avoiding  a  crowd  and  securing  a 
good  seat. 

6.  You  will  need  to  show  your  ticket  to 
the  baggage-man  when  you  ask  him  to 
check  your  baggage;  then  see  that  it  is 
properly  checked,  and  make  a  memoran- 
dum of  the  number  of  the  check  in  the 
blank  of  the  Annex  No.  3 ;  this  done,  you 
will  need  to  give  it  no  further  attention  un- 
til you  get  to  the  place  to  which  it  is 
checked. 

7.  Persons  who  accompany  the  con- 
ductor through  the  cars,  calling  for  bag- 
gage to  be  delivered  at  the  hotels  or  other 
places,  are  generally  reliable,  but  the  pas- 
senger, if  in  doubt,  should  inquire  of  the 
conductor,  and  then  be  careful  to  compare 


the  number  of  the  ticket  received  from  the 
agent  in  exchange  for  your  check,  to  be 
sure  that  they  are  the  same. 

8.  Do  not  grumble  at  everything  and 
everybody  or  seek  to  attract  attention  -,  re- 
member only  boors  and  uneducated  peo- 
ple are  intrusive  and  boisterous. 

9.  Remember  this:  -  "Please"  and 
"Thanks"  are  towers  of  strength.  Do  not 
let  the  servants  excel  you  in  patience  and 
politeness.  All  railroad  employes  are  in- 
structed to  be  gentlemanly  and  obliging  at 
all  times. 

10.  And  finally— Do  not  judge  of  the 
people  you  meet  by  their  clothes,  or  think 
you  are  going  west  to  find  fools ;  as  a  mil- 
lionaire may  be  in  greasy  buckskin,  a  col- 
lege graduate  in  rags,  and  a  genius  with 
little  of  either,  while  in  the  breast  of  each 
beats  an  honest  heart. 

— o 

For  Rates  of  j^are,  see  Annex  No.  4. 
o 

Route  1.— From  Halifax  take  the 
Inter-Colonial  and  Grand  Trunk  railways, 
through  the  Province  of  New  Bruns- 
wick via  Quebec,  Montreal,  Victoria 
Bridge,  along  the  shore  of  the  St.  Law- 
rence River,  Thousand  Islands,  and  La 
Chine  Rapids,  Toronto,  Hamilton,  Niagara 
and  Detroit,  where  connections  are  made 
with  routes  2  and  3.  Another  route  is  by 
Maine  Central  via  Portland,  and  ^Ae/i  the 
Grand  Trunk,  or,  via  Boston  and  the 
Central  Vermont  and  the  Grand  Trunk. 

From.  Boston  there  are  quite  a  num- 
ber of  lines.  One,  as  above  described,  is 
through  Vermont  and  Canada ;  another  is 
by  the  Boston  &  Albany  railroad  to  Al- 
bany, where  connections  are  made  with 
route  2 ;  another  is  the  new  "Hoosac  Tun- 
nel" route,  through  the  mountain  and  tun- 
nel of  that  name, — 25,081  feet  in  length, 
double  track ;  cost  $16,000,000— cut  through 
a  mountain  which  rises  1,900  feet  above  the 
track.  This  route  is  a  very  desirable  one, 
passes  through  the  entire  length  of  the 
State  of  Massachusetts,  and  connects  with 
route  2,  at  Troy,  New  York.  Another 
line  is  via  Springfield,  or  Shore  Line,  to 
New  York  city;  or,  you  can  take  part 
"rail"  and  the  steamships  on  Long  Island 
Sound,  of  which  there  are  three  first-class 
lines,  comprising  some  of  the  finest  boats 
in  the  world. 

From  New  York  city,  passengers  who 
desire  to  visit  Niagara— whose  thundering 
cataracts,  in  volume  of  waters,  far  surpass 
all  other  waterfalls  in  the  known  world — 


AND    PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


15 


HANGING  KUCiS.,  amkRiCajn  FukK  R.R.,  UTAH 

See  Annex  No.  18. 

may  also  view  the  great  Suspension  Bridge 
over  Niagara  River,  which,  undoubtedly,  is 
one  of  the  finest  structures  of  its  kind  in 
this  country.  They  can  have  choice  of  two 
trunk  lines. 

Route  2.— The  New  York  Central  & 
Hudson  River  line,  passes  up  the  glorious 
old  Hudson,  the  magnificent  river  upon  the 
bosom  of  which  Fulton  launched  his  "ex- 
periment," the  first  steamboat  ever  con- 
structed. This  road  is  built  almost  on  the 
river  brink,  upon  the  eastern  bank,  which 


slopes  back  in  irregu- 
lar terraces,  presenting 
from  the  car  window 
one  of  the  finest,  if  not 
the  finest,  panoramic 
view  in  the  world. 
On  the  right  are  many 
small  cities,  towns  and 
villages,  with  groves, 
parks,  gardens,  orch- 
ards, and  alternate  rich 
fields,  with  here  and 
there,  peeping  out  from 
beneath  the  trees,  the 
magnificent  country 
villa  of  the  nabob, 
the  substantial  resi- 
dence ot  the  wealthy 
merchant,  or  the  neat 
and  tasteful  cottage  of 
the  well-to-do  farmer. 
Then  come  the  "  Pali- 
sades of  the  Hudson," 
and  then  again  a  rep- 
etition of  the  beauties 
above  described,  Avhile 
to  the  west  of  our  train 
rolls  the  river,  with 
numberless  steamboats 
tugs,  barges,  small 
boats,  and  sailing  ves- 
sels of  all  kinds  and 
classes,  while  beyond, 
on  the  west  bank,  is 
spread  out  a  succession 
of  scenery  not  much 
unlike  that  seen  on 
the  eastern  side.  This 
line  passes  through 
Central  New  York,  the 
"Garden  Spot  of  the 
State,"  via  Albany,— 
the  Capital  of  the 
State, —  Troy,  Utica, 
Rochester,  to  Suspen- 
sion Bridge,  Niagara, 
and  Buffalo. 
The  direct  western  connections  of  this 
route  are  at  Suspension  Bridge,  with  the 
Great  Western  and  Michigan  Central 
and  at  Bufialo  with  the  Canada  Southern 
and  the  Lake  Shore  &  Michigan  South- 
ern, via  Dunkirk  and  Cleveland. 

Route  3.^The  Erie  railway  line  trav- 
erses the  southern  portion  of  tne  State  of 
New  York,  via  Binghampton,  Corning, 
and  Bufialo.  The  track  of  the  Erie  la 
the  hroad  gauge ;  the  cars  are  very  wide 
and  commodious.     This  route  affords  the 


16 


CKOFUTT  S   NEW    OVERLAND    TOURIST 


traveler  a  view,  while  crossing  and  re- 
crossing  the  Delaware,  of  scenery  and  en- 
gineering  skill,  at  once  grand,  majestic, 
and  wonderful.  The  direct  western  con- 
nection of  the  Erie  is  the  Lake  Shore 
&  Michigan  Southern,  at  Dunkirk  and 
BujQTalo;  and  the  Canada  Southern,  at 
Buffalo— with  the  Great  Western  and 
Michigan  Central,  at  Suspension  Bridge ; 
and  the  Atlantic  &  Great  Western,  at 
Corry,  Penn. 

Route  4. — The  Pennsylvania  Central 
line  receives  passengers  in  New  York 
and  Philadelphia,  and  conveys  them  the 
entire  length  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania, 
via  Harrisburg — the  capital  of  the  State, 
— to  Pittsburgh,  the  most  extensive  iron 
manufacturing  cityin  the  UnitedStates.  The 
landscape  on  this  line,  and  especially  while 
passing  along  the  Susquehanna  River,  and 
the  charming  "Blue  Juniatta,"  and  over  the 
Alleghanies,  presents  scenery  most  grand ; 
while  the  fearful  chasms  and  wonderful 
engineering  skill  displayed  at  the  "Great 
Horse-shoe  Bend."  and  at  other  points,  are 
second  only  to  that  displayed  at  "Cape 
Horn"  on  the  Sierra  Nevada  mountains. 
At  Pittsburgh,  the  Central  connects  with 
the  Pittsburgh,  Fort  Wayne  &  Chicago, 
— one  of  the  best  roads  in  this  country — 
and  also  with  lines,  via  Columbus  and  In- 
dianapolis, and  St.  Louis,  or  Cincinnati, 
Indianapolis  and  St.  Louis. 

Route  5.— Is  via  the  cities  of  Philadel- 
phia  and  Baltimore,  by  the  Baltimore  & 
Ohio.  By  this  line,  passengers  are  afforded 
an  opportunity  of  visiting  the  capitol  at 
Washington,  and  thence,  via  Harper's 
Ferry,  "over  the  mountains"  to  Wheeling. 
It  is  said  by  some  travelers  that  the 
scenery  by  this  line  is  unsurpassed  by  any 
on  the  continent.  The  western  connec- 
tions are  at  Chicago,  Cincinnati,  and  St. 
Louis. 

From  Cincinnati  passengers  can  have 
choice  of  several  first-class  competing 
lines,  via  either  Chicago  or  St.  Louis,  or 
via  the  Burlington  route— direct,  via  Bui*- 
lington,  Iowa,  where  connection  is  made 
with  the  Burlington  &  Missouri,  for  Coun- 
cil Bluffs. 

From  St.  Louis  passengers  can  take 
the  "Wabash  Line"  direct,  with  ele- 
gant sleeping  and  dining  cars,  or  the 
Missouri  Pacific,  via  Kansas  City,  and 
the  Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph  &  Council 
Bluffs,  via  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  and  arrive 
at  Council  Bluffs. 
.  From  Chicago  there  are  four  first- 


class  roads.  The  Chicago  &  North- 
western was  the  first  road  built  to  the 
Missouri  River,  where  the  first  train 
arrived  Jan.  17, 1867,  which  route  is  via 
Clinton  and  Cedar  Rapids.  The  Chica- 
go, Rock  Island  &  Pacific  road,  which, 
passes  through  the  cities  of  Rock  Is- 
land, Davenport  and  Des  Moines:  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy,  via 
Galesburg  and  Burlington,  form  the 
"  Burlington  Route,"  and  the  Chicago, 
Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul.  These  four 
roads  are  known  as  the  "  Iowa  Pool 
Lines,"  and  are  equipped  with  all  the 
modern  improvements.  Magnificent 
drawing  room  sleeping  cars  run  with, 
all  through  trains ;  also,  dining  oars, 
in  which  meals  are  served  for  75 
cents. 

All  trains  from  the  East  and  South  stop 
a  few  moments  at  Council  Bluffs  befora 
proceeding  to  the  Transfer  Grounds,  two 
miles  further  west.    Let  us  take  a  look  at 

Council  BlaflFs— This  city  is  in  the 
western  portion  of  the  State  of  Iowa,  about 
three  miles  from  the  Missouri  River,  at  the 
foot  of  the  bluffs.  It  is  the  county  seat  of 
Pottawattomie  county,  and  contains  a  pop- 
ulation  of  about  18,400.  It  is  four  miles 
distant  from  Omaha,  Neb. ,  with  which, 
city  it  is  connected  by  hourly  steam 
cars.  The  explorers,  Lewis  and  Clark, 
held  council  with  the  Indians  here  in  1804, 
and  named  it  Council  Bluffs.  It  is  one  of 
the  oldest  towns  in  Western  Iowa.  As  early 
as  1846,  it  was  known  as  a  Mormon  settle- 
ment, by  the  name  of  Kanesville,  which  it 
retained  until  1853,  when  the  legislature 
granted  a  charter  designating  the  place  as 
the  City  of  Council  Bluffs. 

The  surrounding  country  is  rich  in  the 
chief  wealth  of  the  nation— agriculture. 

Council  Bluffs  includes  within  her  cor- 
porate limits  24  square  miles.  The  buildings 
are  good ;  the  town  presents  a  neat,  tasty, 
and,  withal,  a  liveli/  appearance;  street-cars 
traverse  the  principal  streets;  churches 
and  schools  are  numerous.  The  State  In- 
stitute for  the  Deaf  and  Dumb  is  located 
near  the  city,  to  the  southeast.  The  Ogden, 
is  the  principal  hotel,  and  the  Daily  Non- 
pareil, and  the  Daily  Globe,  are  the  prin- 
cipal newspapers. 

By  a  decision  of  the  United  States  Su- 
preme Court,  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Mis- 
souri River  is  the  terminus  of  the  Union 
Pacific  railroad.  The  terminus  is  now 
known  as  the  Transfer  Grounds. 


AND    PACIFIC    COAST    GtJIIOE. 


17 


SIDNEY   DILLON. 


Amonff  the  men  of  progress  in  America 
there  will  be  found  no  name  more  dis- 
tinctly representative  or  more  thoroughly 
in  unison  with  the  spirit  of  the  age,  than 
that  of  Mr.  Sidney  Dillon,  President  of 
the  Union  Pacific  railroad.  Born  in  North- 
ampton, Montgomery  county,  New  York, 
on  the  7th  of  May,  1818,  at  which  place 
his  father  was  a  well-to-do'  farmer,  he 
came  of  sterling  stock — his  grandfather 
having  been  a  Revolutionary  soldier. 

From  early  childhood  his  life  has  been 
an  active  one,  given  almost  wholly  to  the 
advancement  of  the  internal  improvements 
of  his  country.  When  a  mere  lad,  he  com- 
menced his  railroad  life  as  an  errand  boy, 
on  the  Mohawk  &  Hudson  railroad — 
the  first  railroad  built  in  his  native 
State — running  from  Albany  to  Schenec- 
tady. (Annex  No.  7,  page  56.)  He  next 
entered  the  service  of  the  Rensselaer 
&  Saratoga — then  we  hear  of  him  as  over- 
seer of  a  contract  on  the  Boston  &  Provi- 
dence, and  several  other  roads.  In  1838,  he 
took  his  first  contract,  and  completed  it  with 
profit  in  1840,  from  which  time  his  con- 
tracts have  been  very  numerous.     Among 


these  was  "Clay  Hill,"  two  miles  from 
West  Troy,  on  the  Troy  &  Schenectady 
railroad.  Mr.  Dillon  next  built  twenty- 
six  miles  of  the  Hartford  &  Springfield, 
six  miles  of  the  Cheshier,  and  ten  miles  on 
the  Vermont  &  Massachusetts.  Besides 
the  above,  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  Rutland  &  Burlington; 
Central,  of  New  Jersey;  the  Morris 
canal ;  the  Boston  &  New  York  Central ; 
the  Philadelphia  &  Erie;  the  Erie  & 
Cleveland;  the  Morris  &  Essex;  the 
Boston,  Hartford  &  Erie;  the  Iowa;  the 
New  Orleans,  Mobile  &  Chattanooga, 
the  Canada  Southern;  the  Union  Pa- 
cific, and  many  others.  The  last  great 
work  upon  which  Mr.  Dillon  has  been  en- 
gaged is  the  "Fourth  Avenue  improve- 
ment," New  York.  The  contract  involves 
$7,000,000,  and  is  a  work  of  great  mag- 
nitude. Suffice  it  to  say,  that  he  has  been 
engaged  in  over  forty  of  the  leading  public 
works  of  America,  and  that  the  contracts 
with  which  he  has  been  engaged  have 
amounted  to  over  $100,000,000.  The 
career  of  Mr.  Dillon  teaches  the  lesson, 
that,  at  the  hands  of  a  man  thoroughly 


18 


CKOFUTT'S   NEW   OVEKLAND  TOURIST 


conversant  with  his  business,  persevering, 
energetic,  faithful  to  trust,  upright  in  his 
relations  with  his  fellow-men,  «i^cces«  is  sure. 
In  person,  Mr.  Dillon  is  tall,  exceedingly 
well  built,  and  combines  suavity  of  man- 
ner with  great  promptness  of  decision  in 
action.  He  was  married  in  1841,  resi- 
dence in  New  York  City,  and  devotes 
his  whole  time  to  directing  the  interests 
of  the 

Union  Pacific  RailiH^ac?, 

Official  Headquarters,  E.  E.  Build- 
ing, Omaha,  Neb.,  and  44  Equitable 
Building,  Boston,  Mass. 

Sidney  Dillon President New  York. 

Elisha  Atkins Vice  President Boston. 

H.  McFarland Sec.  andTreas., " 

S.  H.  H.  CiiABK, Oen'l  Manager, . . .  Omaha. 

Thos.  L.  Kimball,  , .  .Ass't  Gen.  Manaa'r, 

E.  P,  ViNiNG, Freight  Traffic Mg'r 

J.  W.  Gannett, Auditor, 

J.  O.  Bbinkerhoff,  . .  Chief  Engineer,. . . . 

Leavitt  Burnham,  .  .Land  Comm'r 

J.  J.  Dickey, Sup't  Telegraph, . . 

P.  P.  Shelby Oen'l  Freight  Agent, 

J.W.Morse, G^F.Agmt, 

S.  B.  Jones Ass't 

C.  S.  Stebbins Qer'  Ticket  Agent, 

F.  Knowland,  General  Eastern  Agent, 

287  Broadway,  New  York. 
M.  T.  Dennis,  Oen'l  Agent  for  New  England, 

Boston,  Mass, 

Though  but  little  faith  was  at  first  felt  in 
the  successful  completion  of  this  great 
railway,  no  one,  at  the  present  day,  can 
fail  to  appreciate  the  enterprise  which 
characterized  the  progress  and  final  com- 
pletion of  this  road,  its  immense  value  to 
the  Government,  our  own  people,  and  the 
world  at  large. 

B^  the  act  of  1862,  the  time  for  the  com- 
pletion  of  the  road  was  specified.  The  ut- 
rnost  limit  was  July  1,  1876. 

The  first  contract  for  construction  was 
made  in  August,  1863,  but  various  con- 
flicting interests  connected  with  the  loca- 
tion of  the  line  delayed  its  progress,  and  it 
was  not  until  the  5th  day  of  November, 
1865,  that  the  ceremony  of  breaking  ground 
was  enacted  at  a  point  on  the  Missouri 
Eiver,  near  Omaha,  Neb. 

The  enthusiast,  Mr.  Train,  in  his  speech 
on  the  occasion  of  breaking  ground,  said 
the  road  would  be  completed  in  five  years. 
Old  Fogy  could  not  yet  understand  Young 
America,  and,  as  usual,  he  was  ridiculed 
for  the  remark,  classed  as  a  dreamer  and 
visionary  enthusiast ;  the  greater  portion  of 
the  people  believing  that  the  limited  time 
would  find  the  road  unfinished.  But  it 
was  completed  in  three  years,  six  montTis, 
and  ten  days. 


Most  Americans  are  familiar  with  the 
history  of  the  road,  yet  but  few  are  aware 
of  the  vast  amount  of  labor  performed  in 
obtaining  the  material  with  which  to  con- 
struct the  first  portion.  There  was  no 
railroad  nearer  Omaha  than  150  miles  east- 
ward, and  over  this  space  all  the  material 
purchased  in  the  Eastern  cities  had  to  be 
transported  by  freight-teams  at  ruinous 
prices.  The  laborers  were,  in  most  cases, 
transported  to  the  railroad  by  the  same 
route  and  means.  Even  the  engine,  of  70 
horse  power,  which  drives  the  machinery 
at  the  company's  works  at  Omaha,  was 
conveyed  in  wagons  from  Des  Moines, 
Iowa,  that  being  the  only  available  means 
of  transportation  at  the  time. 

For  five  hundred  miles  west  of  Omaha 
the  country  was  bare  of  lumber  save  a 
limited  supply  of  cottonwood  on  the  islands 
in  and  along  the  Platte  Eiver,  wholly  unfit 
for  railroad  purposes.  East  of  the  river, 
the  same  aspect  was  presented,  so  that  the 
company  were  compelled  to  purchase  ties 
cut  in  Michigan,  Pennsylvania,  and  New 
York,  which  cost,  delivered  at  Omaha, 
$2.50  per  tie. 

Omaha,  at  that  time,  1863,  contained  less 
than  8,000  population,  mostly  a  trading  peo- 
ple, and  the  railroad  company  were  com- 
pelled to  create,  as  it  were,  almost  every- 
thing. Shops  must  be  built,  forges  erected, 
all  the  machiniery  for  successful  work 
must  be  placed  in  position,  before  much 
progress  could  be  made  with  the  work. 
This  was  accomplished  as  speedily  as  cir- 
cumstances would  permit,  and  by  January, 
1866,  40  miles  of  road  had  been  constructed, 
which  increased  to  265  miles  during  the 
year;  and  in  1867,  285  miles  more  were 
added,  making  a  total  of  550  miles  on 
January  1, 1868.  From  that  time  forward 
the  work  was  prosecuted  with  greatly  in- 
creased energy,  and  on  May  10,  1869,  the 
road  met  the  Central  Pacific  railroad  at 
Promontory  Point,  Utah  Territory — the 
last  534  miles  having  been  built  in  a  little 
more  than  fifteen  months;  being  an 
average  of  nearly  one  and  one-fifth  mile 
per  day. 

By  arrangements  with  the  Central  Pa- 
cific Eailroad  Company,  the  Union  in 
1870  relinquished  to  the  Central  46  miles 
of  road,  and  again  in  1875,  another  strip  of 
6  miles,  leaving  the  entire  length  of  the 
Union,  1,032  miles,  and  its  junction  with 
the  Central  at  Ogden,  Utah. 

o 

For  Snow  Difficulties,  see  Annex  No.  13. 


CASTELLATED  ROCKS.  GREEN  RI 


R,  WYOMING,  (See  Annex  No.  i6.) 


.'3.> 


20 


CROFUTT'S  NEW  OVERLAND  TOURIST 


THE  UNION  PACIFIC  DEPOT. 


The    Transfer    Crrounds— are 

about  two  miles  west  of  Council 
Bluffs,  and  about  half  a  mile  east  of 
the  Missouri  Eiver  Bridge.  Here, 
all  passengers,  baggage,  express,  and 
mails  on  arriving  from  the  eastward, 
change  to  cars  of  the  Union  Pacific. 
A  large  fine  building  affords  ample 
accommodation  for  passengers,  and 
for  the  transaction  of  all  kinds  of  bus- 
iness connected  with  the  transfer. 
The  tracks  of  the  eastern  roads  ter- 
minate at  the  eastern  front.  Between 
these  tracks  are  long  wide  covered 
platforms  along  which  passengers, 
mails,  baggage,  etc.,  reach  the  depot, 
and  after  passing  through  the  build- 
ing, find  the  Union  Pacific  trains  wait- 
ing on  the  west  side. 

The  Union  Depot  is  a  model  of  con- 
venience, built  of  brick  with  stone 
trimmings,— two  stories.  On  the  first 
floor  are  two  large  waiting  rooms  for 
ladies  and  gentlemen, ticket,telegraph 
and  express  offices,  baggage  and  news 
rooms,  restaurant,  lunch  counter, 
barber,  etc.  The  second  story  of  the 
building  is  divided  into  rooms  for 
hotel  accommodations,  the  parlors 
are  elegant,  the  rooms,— 40  in   num- 


ber— are  very  large,  furnished  in  the 
best  manner,  with  hot  and  cold  water, 
gas,  annunciators,  etc. 

A  "Dummy"  train  leaves  the  depot 
for  Omaha  every  hour  through  the 
day,  and  horse  cars  from  the  south 
side  of  the  depot  for  Council  Bluffs, 
regularly. 

The  Emigrant  Hoiise-^so-call- 
ed,  is  situated  a  short  distance  west 
of  the  Depot  on  the  north  side  of  the 
track.  It  was  built  by  the  Union  Pa- 
cific Co.,  and  is  run  by  their  direction 
for  the  accommodation  and  protec- 
tion of  their  emigrant  passengers. 
The  building  is  of  wood,  has  70  rooms 
comfortably  furnished,  accommoda- 
ting 200  persons,  and  charges  only  suf- 
ficient to  cover  cost;  plain,  substan- 
tial meals,  25  cents  each. 

The  handling  of  the  baggage  at  this 
depot  is  no  small  item.  The  baggage 
room  is  very  large,  as  well  as  the  num- 
ber of  "smashers,"  but,  as  the  latter 
are  always  under  the  eye  of  Mr.  Tray- 
nor.  General  Baggage  Agent  of  the 
road,  the  baggage  is  not  only  handled 
quickly  but  with  a.  fatherly  care. 

Passengers  will  here  re-check  their 
baggage,  and  secure  tickets  in  one  of 


CROFUTT  S    NEW    OVERLAND    TOURIST 


21 


the  Palace  Sleeping  Cars  that  ac- 
companies all  through  trains,  and  there- 
by insure  an  opportunity  for  a  refresh- 
ing sleep,  as  well  as  a  palace  by  night 
and  day.  This,  however,  costs  an  extra 
fee.  The  charges  are  over  the  Union 
Pacific  from  Omaha,  $8.00 ;  from  Ogden, 
over  the  Central  Pacific,  to  the  Pacific 
Coast  cities,  $6.00.  But  as  all  cannot 
afford  to  ride  in  palace  cars,  secure — 
pre-empt,  if  you  please—the  best  seat 
you  can,  and  prepare  to  be  happy. 

j^"Sleeping  car  and  stop-over  privil- 
eges are  not  allowed  on  second  and  third- 
class  tickets.  [See  Note,  p.  149.]  Bag- 
gage can  be  checked  only  to  the  desti- 
nation of  second  and  third-class  tick- 
ets—100  lbs.  allowed  free  on  each  full, 
and  50  lbs.  on  each  half-ticket  of  all 
classes.  Extra  baggage  is  $10  to  $15 
per  100  lbs.  according  to  class.    Passen- 

fers  holding  first-class  tickets  to  San 
'rancisco,  with  pre-paid  orders  for 
steamer  passage  to  trans-Pacific  ports, 
will  be  allowed  250  lbs.  baggage,  free, 
on  presentation  of  such  orders  to  the 
baggage  agent  at  the  Transfer,  or 
Omaha;  on  second-class  tickets,  150  lbs., 
free.  Orders  for  steamsliip  passage  can 
be  purchased  at  the  Transfer,  or  Omaha 
depot  ticket  offices. 
For  rates  of  Fare  see  Annex  Ko.  4. 
Lunch  Baskets— With  only  two  or  three 
exceptions,  all  the  eating-houses  on  this 
line  are  good.  The  good  ones  have  our  ap- 
proval, but  the  others— Oh !  well— should 
you  provide  yourself  with  a  small  basket 
of  provisions,  and  use  it  accordingly,  it 
would  tend  to  preserve  your  temper.  The 
accommodations  at  all  the  principal  sta- 
tions for  those  who  wish  to  "  stop  over  "  a 
day  or  two,  are  ample ;  charges,  from  $3,00 
to  $4.00  per  day. 

For  a  Brief  Sketch  op  Our  Western 
Country  —  The  Far  West  —  Con- 
densed History  —  Organization  op 
the  Pacific  Railroad— Land  Grant 
— Cost  of  Construction — Material 
Used  —  Importance  of  the  Road — 
Facts  in  Brief- Grumblers— See  An- 
nex No.  5. 

One  Word  More— As  you  arc  about  to 
launch  out  upon  the  broad,  sweeping  i:lains, 
the  barren  desert,  and  the  .2:rand  oldlnoun. 
tains — for  all  these  varied  features  of  'ke 
earth's  surface  will  be  encountered  before 


we  reach  the  Pacific  Coast— lay  aside  all 
city  prej  udices  and  ways  for  the  time ;  leave 
them  here^  and  for  once  be  natural  while 
among  nature's  loveliest  and  grandest  crea. 
tions.  Havmg  done  this,  you  will  be  pre- 
pared to  enjoy  the  trip — to  appreciate  the 
scenes  which  will  rise  successively  before 
you.  But,  above  all  forget  everything  but 
the  journey;  and  in  this  consists  the  great 
aeerei  of  having  a  good  time  generally. 
Are  you  ready?— The  bell  rings,  *'Aj1 
aboard  "  is  sounded,  and  our  train  leaves 
the  "Transfer  Grounds,"  and  directs  its 
course  due   west  towards  the 

Missouri  River  Bridge— The  construc- 
tion of  this  bridge  was  first  authorized  by 
Congress  on  the  25th  of  July,  1866,  but  very 
little  was  done  until  March,  1868,  when 
work  commenced,  and  was  continued  from 
that  time  until  July  26, 1869,  when  it  was 
suspended.  Nothing  more  was  done  until 
April,  1870,  when  a  second  contract  was 
made  with  the  American  Bridge  Company 
of  Chicago,  and  work  again  comm(  need. 
On  the  24th  of  February,  1871,  Congn  ss 
passed  a  special  act  authorizing  the  Union 
Pacific  Railroad  Company  to  construct 
this  bridge  across  the  Missouri  River,  and 
to  issue  bonds  lo  the  amount  of  $2,500,000. 

The  county  of  Douglas,  Nebraska,  voted, 
under  certain  conditions,  aid  in  county 
bonds  to  the  amount  of  $250,000.  Also, 
Pcttawattomie  county,  Iowa,  voted,  under 
certain  conditions,  aid  to  the  amount  of 
$205,000. 

This  bridge  is  a  notable  structure  (see 
illustration),  one-half  mile  in  length,  with 
the  approaches  over  one  mile. 

It  is  located  below  the  old  depot,  and  op- 
posite that  part  of  the  city  of  Omaha 
known  as  "Train-Town,"  ana  has  a  single 
track. 

The  bridge  is  known  as  a  "Post's  Pat- 
ent." The  hollow  iron  columns  are  22  in 
number,  two  forming  a  pier.  These  col- 
umns are  made  of  cast  iron  one-and-three- 
fourths  inches  in  thickness,  8%  feet  in  di- 
ameter, 10  feet  long,  and  weigh  8  tons  each. 
They  are  bolted  together  air-tight,  and 
sunk  to  the  bed-rock  of  the  river,  in  one 
case,  82  feet  below  low-water. 

After  these  columns  are  seated  on  the 
rock  foundation,  they  are  filled  up  twenty 
feet  with  stone  concrete,  and  from  the 
concrete  to  the  bridge  "seat,"  they  are 
filled  with  regular  masonry.  From  high- 
water  mark  to  the  bridge  "seat,"  these 
columns  measure  50  feet.  The  eleven 
spans    are    250  feet    in    length,    making 


22 


PACIFIC   COAST   GUIDE. 


f'mwm^mM. 


^^^^K  i^ 

i^>.^^ 

S 

^;^/'j:y^  \r':':yf' 


MISSOURI    RIVER   BRIDGE— OMAHA  IN  THE  DISTANCE. 


the  iron  part,  between  abutments,  2,750  feet. 
These  columns  were  cast  in  Chicago, 
and  delivered  in  the  shape  ot  enermous 
rings,  10  feet  in  length.  When  they  were 
being  placed  in  position  the  workmen 
would  take  two  or  more  rings,  join  them 
together,  place  the  column  where  it  was  to 
be  sunk,  cover  the  top  with  an  air-lock, 
then  force  the  water  from  the  column  by 
pneumatic  pressure,  ranging  froih  10  to  35 

Sounds  per  square  inch.  The  workmen 
escend  the  columns  by  means  of  rope- 
ladders,  and  fill  sand-buckets,  which  are 
hoisted  through  the  air-lock  by  a  pvony-en- 
gine.  The  sand  is  then  excavated  about 
two  feet  below  the  bottom  of  the  column, 
the  men  come  out  through  the  air-lock,  a 
leverage,  from  100  to  300  tons,  is  applied, 
the  pneumatic  pressure  is  removed,  and 
the  column  sinks,  from  three  inches  to  two 
and  one-half  feet — in  one  instance,  the  col- 
umn  steadily  sank  down  17  feet.    When- 


ever the  column  sinks,  the  sand  fills  in 
from  10  to  30  feet— in  one  instance,  40  feet. 
This  has  to  be  excavated  before  another 
sinking  of  a  few  inches  can  take  place, 
making  altogether  a  slow  and  tedious 
process. 

Soon  after  crossing  the  bridge,  our  train 
stops  in  the  Omajia  depot — a  large  build- 
ing with  one  enormous  span  overhead, 
,  built  in  the  most  substantial  manner,  of 
iron  and  glass,  with  six  tracks  running 
through  it  from  end  to  end.  On  the  south 
side  are  ample  waiting  and  dining-rooms,* 
express,  telegraph,  baggage,  ticket,  and 
other  offices.  Passengers  who  wish  to  stop 
over,  will  find  omnibuses  at  the  depot  to 
take  them  and  their  baggage  to  the  hotele, 
or  any  point  in  the  city ;  fare.  50  cents ;  or, 
they  will  find  street  cars  on  the  north  side 
of  the  depot,  that  leave  every  fivo  rainutcs, 
passing  the  principal  hotels,  and  running 
the  whole  length  of  the  city ;  fare,  0  cents. 


PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


23^ 


GENERAL  OFFICES,  UNION  PACIFIC  BAILWAY  CO. 


Omaha— This  is  one  of  the  most 
progressive  cities  in  the  West.  It  is  the 
county  seat  of  Douglas  county,  situated 
on  the  western  bank  of  the  Mo.  River,  on 
a  slope  about  50  feet  above  high-water 
mark,  with  an  altitude  of  966 feet  above 
sea  level.  The  first  "claim  cabin"  was 
built  here  in  1854,  and  the  place  named 
Omaha,  after  the  Omaha  Indians. 

It  is  related  that  the  first  postmaster  of 
Omaha  used  his  hat  for  a  postoffice.and 
many  times,  when  the  postmaster  was 
on  liie  prairie,  some  anxious  individual, 
would  chase  him  for  miles  until  he  over- 
took the  traveling  postofflce  and  re- 
ceived his  letter.  "Large  oaks  from  little 
acorns  grow,"  says  the  old  rhyme,  'tis 
illustrated  in  this  case.  The  battered- 
hat  postoflflce  has  given  place  to  a  first- 
class  postofflce,  commensurate  with  the 
future  growth  of  the  city, the  last  cen- 
sus giving  a  population  of  30,642. 

In  1875,  the  Grovernment  completed  a 
large  court-house  and  postofflce  build- 
ing, using  a  very  fine  quality  of  Cin- 
cinnati free-stone.  It  is  122  feet  in 
length  by  66  feet  in  width— four  stories 
high — cost  $350,000,  and  is  one  of  Die 
most  attractive  buildings  in  llie  city. 


The  State  capitol 
was  first  located 
here,  but  was  re- 
moved to  Lincoln 
in  1868.  Omaha 
though  the  first  set- 
tlement  made  in 
Nebraska,is  a  young 
city.   The  town  im- 

f roved  steadily  un- 
il  1859,whenlt 
commenced  to  gain 
very  rapidly.  The 
inaugurating  of  the 
Union  Pacific  rail- 
road gave  it  another 
onward  impetus, 
and  since  then  the 
growth  of  the  city 
has  been  very  rapid. 
There  are  many  evi- 
dences of  continued 
prosperity  and  fu- 
ture ^eatness,  one 
of  which,  is  the  fact 
that  there  are  no 
dwelling  houses  in 
the  city  •'To  Let;* 
yet  the  records  show  there  were,  over 
$2,000,000  expended  during  1881  iri  new 
buildings  and  city  improvements. 

Omaha  is  the  headquarters  for  half 
dozen  railroads,  has  three  daily  pa- 
pers, the  Herald,  Bee  and  Bepuhliccni, 
besides  several  periodicals;  a  grand 
opera  house  and  several  large  first- 
class  hotels  building.  The  "Paxton" 
is  the  principal  one.  The  amount  of 
jobbing  business,  banking,  packing, 
manufacturing,  grain  and  produce 
handling,  etc.,  done  in  Omaha  is  im- 
mense and  rapidly  increasing.  There 
are  twenty-four  churches  in  the*eity 
and  numerous  public  and  private 
schools.  The  Omaha  people  are  proud 
of  their  public  schools.  The  city  lias 
near  $500,000  invested  in  free  school 
property. 

The  High  School  is  the  finest  build-f 
ing  of  its  kind  in  the  Western  country,! 
and  stands  on  Capitol  Hill,  on  the  site 
of  the  old  State  House,  the  highest 
point  in  the  city,  and  is  the  first  object 
which  attracts  the  attention  of  travel-, 
ers  approaching  from  the  East,  North, 
or  South.  Its  elevation  and  command^; 
ing  position  stand  forth  as  a  fitting^ 


24 


CEOFUTT  S  NEW  OVERLAND  TOURIST. 


Tnonument  to  attest  a  people's  intelli- 
gence and  worth.  [See  Annex  No.  6.] 
To  the  north  of  the  High  School 
building  is  the  Creighton  College,  j  ust 
completed  at  a  cost  of  $55,000,  with  a 
further  endowment  of  $100,000  the  gift 
•of  Mrs.  Edward  Creighton.  The  build- 
ing is  54  by  126  feet— three  stories  and 
■abasement — capable  of  accommodat- 
ing 480  pupils.  It  is  a/ree  school  and 
conducted  Iv  the  Jesiiit  Fathers. 


BEE  HIVE,  OR  FAN  GEYSER,  YrLLOWSTONE  PARE. 


Omaha  has  a  beautiful  driving  park, 
known  as  Hanscom  Park,  the  gift  of 
Mr.  A.  J.  Hanscom  and  Mr.  Jas.G.  Mc- 
Gath.  It  is  situated  about  one  mile 
southwest  from  the  center  of  the  city, 
contains  80  acres,  is  in  as  romantic  and 
picturesque  a  locality  as  one  could 
wish,  with  a  perfect  forest  of  shade 
trees  and  beautiful  walks,  fountains, 
etc. , and ,  in  fact,  is  "a  thing  of  beaut^^," 
and  to  the  citizens  of  Omaha,  we  be- 
lieve, will  be  a  joy  "for- 
ever," 

Omaha  is  headquar- 
ters of  the  Department 
of  the  Platte.  Fort  Om- 
aha was  established  in 
1868 ;  the  barracks  are  8 
in  number  capable  of 
accommodating  1,00  0 
men.  They  are  situated 
3  miles  north  and  in  full 
view  of  the  city.  Lati- 
tude, 40  deg.  20  min. ; 
longitude,  96  deg.  from 
Greenwich.  Eighty 
acres  of  land  are  held 
as  reserved,  though  no 
reservation  has  yet 
been  declared  at  this 
post.  There  is  an  excel- 
lent carriage-road  to 
the  barracks  and  a  fine 
drive  around  them, 
which  affords  pleasure 
parties  an  excellent  op- 
portunity to  witness 
the  dress-parades  of 
the  "boys  in  blue."  It  is 
a  favorite  resort,  the 
parade,  the  fine  drive 
and  improvements 
around  the  place  call- 
ing out  many  of  the  fa- 
shionable p  1  e  a  s  u  r  e- 
seekers.  The  grounds 
are  planted  with  shade 
trees,and  in  a f ew  years 
will  become  one  of  the 
many  pleasant  places 
around  Omaha, 

The  post  is  the  main 
distributing  point  for 
all  troops  and  stores 
destined  for  the  West. 
These  barracks 
were  erected  for  the 
purpose  of  quarter- 
ing the  troops  during 


CKOFUTT  S    NEW    OVERLAND    TOURIST 


35 


fhe  winter  season  when  their  services  were 
not  required  on  the  plains,  and  as  a  gener- 
al rendezvous  for  all  troops  destined  for 
that  quarter. 

Besides  the  Union  Pacific,  there  are  two 
other  railroads  that  branch  offfn^m  Omaha. 
The  Omaha  &  Northern  Nebraska,  and 
the  Burlington  and  Missouri  in  Nebraska. 
These  roads  were  chartered  under  the  gen- 
eral railway  act  which  gave  two  thousand 
acres  of  land  for  every  mile  of  road  com- 
pleted before  a  specified  time.  The  route 
of  the  Northern  is  five  miles  up  the  Mis- 
souri River  Valley,  then  northwest  to 
the  valley  of  the  Papillion,  thence  to  the 
Elkhom  River,  and  up  the  Elkhorn  Valley 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Niobrara.  It  is  now 
completed,  and  cars  are  running  to  Teka- 
mah,  Burt  county— about  80  miles  from 
Omaha.  At  Blair  connections  are  made 
with  the  Sioux  City  &  Pacific  railroad. 

i  he  route  of  the  iJ.  &.  M.  R.  H.  iu  N  eb. 
Branch,  is  down  the  Missouri  River  Valley, 
where  it  crosses  the  Platte  and  runs  to 
Lincoln.  This  road  is  under  the  manage- 
ment of  the  Burlington  &  Missouri  River 
Railroad  Co.,  and  makes  close  connections 
at  Orepolis  with  the  main  line  of  the  B.  «& 
M.  for  the  East  and  West. 

At  Omaha,  are  located  the  general  ofii- 
ces  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  Com- 
pany, in  a  fine,  large  building  just  com- 
pleted and  fitted  up  in  the  most  complete 
and  convenient  rhanner.  This  company 
employs  about  9,000  men;  this  includes 
the  men  employed  in  the  Laramie  rolling 
mill  and  in  the  coal  mines.  There  are 
about  5,000  employed  on  the  road  proper; 
there  are  2,050  employed  in  the  shops 
at  Omaha,  and  about  800  more  in  the  vari- 
ous offices,  at  stations,  on  the  track,  and  at 
the  depots  at  Omaha,  making  near 
3,000  in  all  on  the  Omaha  pay  rolls. 

About  one 'mile  above  the  bridge,  on  the 
low  lands  fronting  the  river,  the  railroad 
company  have  located  their  principal 
shops  and  store-houses.  They  are  built  of 
brick,  in  the  most  substantial  form,  and 
with  the  out  buildings,  lumber  yard,  tracks, 
etc.,  cover  about  30  acres  of  ground. 

The  machine  shop  is  furnished  with  all 
the  new  and  most  improved  machineiy, 
which  is  necessary  for  the  successful  work- 
ing at  all  the  branches  of  car  and  locomo- 
tive repairs  or  car  construction.  The 
round-house  contains  20  stalls;  the 
f  >undry,  blacksmith  shop,  car  and  paint 
shops,  are  constructed  and  furnished  in 
the  best  manner.    The  company  manufac- 


ture all  of  their  own  cars.  The  passen- 
ger cars,  in  point  of  neatness,  finish, 
strength  of  build  and  size,  are  unsurpassed 
by  any  and  rivaled  by  few  manufactured 
elsewhere.  It  is  the  expressed  determina- 
tion of  the  Union  Pacific  Company  to  pro- 
vide as  good  cars  and  coaches  for  the  trav- 
eling public  in  St}  le  and  finish  as  those  of- 
any  Eastern  road.  Theyreason,  that  as  the 
great  trans-continental  railroad  is  the  long- 
est and  grandest  on  the  continent,  its  roll- 
ing-stock should  be  equally  grand  and  mag- 
nificent. From  the  appearance  of  the  cars 
already  manufactured,  they  will  achieve 
their  desires.  On  the  same  principle,  we 
proposed  to  make  our  Book  superior  to 
any  other.    Haven't  ice  clone  so? 

*®"  [For  time,  distances,  altitudes, 
etc.,  see  Table  in  back  of  book.] 

Our  train  runs  along  through  the 
southern  suburbs  of  the  city,  on  an 
ascending  grade,  3  2-10  miles  to 

f^nmiiiit  Siding— a  flag  station, 
where  trains  seldom  stop.  Elevation, 
1,142  feet,  176  higher  than  the  Omaha 
depot.  But  our  route  is  now  down- 
ward for  6  3-10  miles  to 

Oilmore — The  country  around  this 
station  is  rich  prairie  land,  well  cultivated., 
A  small  cluster  of  buildings  stands  near 
.the  road ;  the  station  is  of  little  importance, 
merely  for  local  accommodation. 

Continuing  our  descent  5  miles,  we  reach 

Papillion  (Pap-e-o)— Here  we  are  at 
the  lowest  elevation  on  the  whole  line, 
excepting  Omaha,  which  is  6  feet  lower. 
From  this  station  to  Sherman,  on  the 
Black  Hills,  535  miles,  it  will  be  a  grad- 
ual up-grade,  rising  in  the  distance  7,270 
feet. 

Papillion  is  the  county  seat  of  Sarpy 
county  and  has  the  usual  county  buildings, 
some  of  which  are  fine  structures.  The 
Times,  a  weekly  paper,  is  published  here. 
The  station  is  on  the  east  side  of  Papillion 
River,  a  narrow  stream  of  some  50  miles 
in  length,  which,  running  southward, 
empties  into  Elkhorn  River,  a  few  miles 
below  the  station.  The  bridge  over  the 
stream  is  a  very  substantial  wooden  struc- 
ture .  The  country  about  the  station  has 
been  improved  very  much  within  the  last 
few  years;  it  has  fully  doubled  its  popu- 
lation, which  is  now  about  1,000,  and  evi- 
dences of  thrift  appear  on  every  hand. 

Soon  after  leaving  the  station,  we  cross 
the  Papillion  River,  and  6  4-10  miles  brings 
us  to 


26 


PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


HANGING  ROCK,   ECHO    CANYON,  UTAH. 


Millard— an  unimportant  station  to  the 
tourist,  is  situated  in  the  midst  of  a  fine 
agricultural  section — two  stores,  a  flouring 
mill  and  hotel;  population  about  300. 
Eight  miles  further,  we  come  to 

Elkhorn—  wh'ch  is  on  the  east  bank 
of  Elkhorn  River,  and  of  considerable  im- 
portance as  a  point  for  freight  traflic— it  be- 
ing the  outlet  of  Elkhorn  River  valley. 

Elkhorn  River— is  a  stream  of  about 
300  miles  in  length.  It  rises  among  the 
hills  of  the  Divide,  near  where  the  head- 
waters of  the  Niobrara  River  rise  and  wend 
their  way  toward  their  final  destination, 
the  Missouri.  The  course  of  Elkhorn 
creek,  or  river,  is  east  of  south.  It  is  one 
of  the  few  streams  in  this  part  suitable  for 
mill  purposes,  and  possesses  many  excel- 
lent mill  site3  along  its  course.  The  valley 
of  this  stream  averages  about  eight  miles 
in  width,  and  is  of  the  best  quality  of 
farming  land.  It  is  thickly  settled  by  Ger- 
mans for  over  200  miles  of  its  length  from 
its  junction  with  the  Platte  River.    The 


stream  abounds  in  native  fish,  as  well  as  a 
great  variety  of  "fancy  brands"  from  the 
East — a  car  load  of  which  were  accidently 
emptied  into  the  water  at  the  bridge,  while 
en  route  to  be  placed  in  the  lakes  and 
streams  of  California,  during  the  spring 
of  1873. 

Wild  turkeys  on  the  plains,  and  among 
the  low  hills,  along  with  deer  and  antelope, 
afford  sport  and  excitement  for  the  hunter. 
The  river  swarms  with  ducks  and  geese  at 
certain  seasons  of  the  year,  that  come  here 
to  nest  and  feed.  The  natural  thrift  of 
the  Settlers  is  manifested  in  his  well-con- 
ducted farms,  comfortable  houses,  sur- 
rounded by  growing  orchards  and  well- 
tilled  gardens.  There  is  no  pleasanter  val- 
ley in  Nebraska  than  this,  or  one  where 
the  traveler  will  find  a  better  field  for  ob- 
serving the  rapid  growth  and  great  natural 
resources  of  the  Northwest ;  and  should  he 
choose  to  pass  a  week  or  more  in  hunting 
and  fishing,  he  will  find  ample  sport  and  a 
home  with  almost  any  of  the  settlers. 


CROFUTT  S  NEW  OYEBLAND  TOURIST 


27 


Waterloo — two  miles  from  Elk- 
horn,  is  a  small  side-track  station 
where  passenger  trains  seldom  stop. 
It  has  a  flouring  mill,  store,  school 
house,  and  some  neat  little  cottages 
of  well-to-do  farmers. 

Valley —is  4  3-10  miles  further^  and 
shows  a  marked  improvement  within 
the  last  few  years ;  there  are  a  score  of 
new  buildings  in  sight  ;  elevation,  1,- 
147  feet.  The  curious  who  wish  to  note 
the  elevation— station  by  station— are 
referred  to  the  "  Time  Tables  "  at  back 
of  the  book,  where  the  figures  will  be 
found  for  each  station  on  the  whole 
line  of  road. 

Omaha  &  Republican  Valley 
Branch-leads  off  southwesterly  from 
Valley,  and  is  completed  to  Stroms- 
burgh,  90  miles  distant. 

The  road  crosses  the  Platte  River  on 
a  pile  bridge  2,200  feet  long,  enters 
Satmders  county,crosses  the  river  bot- 
tom, and  reaches  Clear  Creek,  the 
first  station  from  Yalley,  seven  miles 
distant. 

Passing  on  over  a  rolling  prairie, 
five  miles  further,  we  come  to 

Mead — This  is  a  small  place,  com- 
posed of  thrifty  farmers. 

Wahoo— seven  miles  further,  is  the 
county  seat  of  Saunders  county.  It  is 
situated  on  a  broad  plateau,  in  the 
midst  of  a  farming  country,  where  they 
raise  60  bushels  of  corn,  50  bushels  of 
oats,  and  25  bushels  of  wheat  to  the 
acre,  and  other  crops  in  proportion. 
There  are  three  flouring  mills  in  the 
town.  The  court  house,  school  and 
other  buildings  are  very  good.  Near 
the  town  is  located  one  of  the  finest 
fair  grounds  and  race  tracks  in  the 
State.  The  Wahoo  house  is  the  prin- 
cipal hotel. 

Leaving  Wahoo, the  face  of  the  coun- 
try becomes  more  rolling,  and  after 
crossing  Wahoo  Creek  and  making  a 
run  of  eight  miles,  we  reach  Weston, 
still  young,  but  a  prosperous  little 
place,  from  which  it  is  eleven  miles  to 
Valparaiso— another  small  place  of 
four  stores,  a  hotel  and  school  house, 
situated  on  Oak  Creek,  on  which  is 
some  very  fine  land,  as  well  as  large 
groves  of  oak. 

Brainard— comes  next, thirteen  miles 
from  Valparaiso,  after  rolling  over  nu- 
merous cuts  and  rough  country.  Ten 
miles  more,  and  we  arrive  at 


David  City— county  seat  of  Butler 
county.  Population  about  300.  There 
are  four  churches  and  several  schools. 
The  Saunders  house  is  the  principal 
hotel. 

From  David  City  it  Is  ten  miles  to 
Risings,  seven  to  Shelby,  seven  to 
Osceola  and  five  to  Stromsburg.  The 

Liincoln  Branch— leads  off  from 
Valparaiso,  nine  miles  to  Raymond 
and  ten  miles  to  Lincoln,  the  Capital 
of  the  State. 

Mr.  S.  H.  H.  Clark,  Gen.  Manager 
of .  the  Union  Pacific,  is  President 
of  both  of  the  above  named  roads, 
and  it  is  understood  they  are  owned 
by  the  Union  Pacific  parties,  under 
whose  management  they  are  con- 
ducted. 

We  will  now  return  to  Valley,  and 
proceed  westward. 

From  Valley  the  Bluffs  on  the  south 
side  of  the  Platte  River  can  be  seen  in 
the  distance,  but  a  few  miles  away,  in 
a  southwesterly  direction.  Soon  after 
leaving  the  station  we  catch  the  first 
glimpse  of  the  Platte  River,  on  our 
left.  Six  miles  further  over  the  broad 
plain  brings  us  to 

Mercer— an  unimportant  station^ 
from  which  it  is  five  miles  to 
Fremont— the  county  seat  of  Dodge 
county,  situated  about  three  miles 
north  of  the  Platte  River,  and  contains 
a  population  of  about  3,500.  The  regu- 
lar passenger  trains  on  the  "Over- 
land" route  stop  here  20  minutes  for 
dinner,  both  from  the  east  and  west. 

The  public  buildings  include  a  jail 
and  court-house,  seven  churches,  and 
some  fine  school  houses.  -Also  a  fine 
opera  house.  Ten  years  ago  we  said : 
"It  was  a  thriving  place  in  the  midst  of 
a  beautiful  country."  Now  it  is  a  city 
of  no  mean  pretentions.  Within  the 
past  ten  years  there  has  been  built 
nearly  1,000  dwelling  houses,  with 
stores  of  all  kinds  in  proportion. 

Fremont  supports  several  newspa- 
pers and  hotels,  and  is  the  shipping 
point  for  a  large  amount  of  grain,  hay 
and  live-stock  raised  in  the  country 
to  the  northward. 

Tne  Sioux  City  &  Pacific  Railroad 
connects  here  with  the  Union  Pacific 
and  runs  through  to  Missouri  Valley 
Junction,  Iowa,  where  it  connects 
with  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern 
Railway. 


28 


PACIFIC    COA^T    GUIDE. 


PACIFIC   COAST   GUIDE. 


29 


It  is  claimed  this  route  is  33  miles 
shorter  to  Chicago  than  via  Omaha,  but  we 
do  not  know  of  any  through  travel  ever 
going  by  this  line,  and  judge  the  local 
travel  to  be  its  sole  support. 

The  Fremont  &  Elkhorn  Valley  rail- 
road  to  the  northward  is  completed  to 
Norfolk,  80  miles,  and  trains  are  run- 
ning regularly.  This  road  runs  through  a 
very  rich  and  well  cultivated  country, 
where  wheat  yields  as  high  as  30  bushels 
to  the  acre. 

Fremont  is  connected  with  the  south 
side  of  the  Platte  by  a  wagon  bridge  that 
cost  over  $50,000. 

The  Platte  Riveb — We  are  now  going 
up  the  Platte,  and  for  many  miles  we  shall 
pass  closely  along  the  north  bank ;  at  other 
times,  the  course  of  the  river  can  only  be 
traced  by  the  timber  growing  on  its  banks. 
Broad  plains  are  the  principal  features, 
skirted  in  places  with  low  abrupt  hills, 
which  here,  in  this  level  country,  rise  to 
the  dignity  of  "bluffs." 

It  would  never  do  to  omit  a  description 
of  this  famous    stream,    up 
the  banks  of  which  so  many  -  ^ 

emigrants  toiled  in  the  '2^^ 
"  Whoa,  haw  "  times,  from 
1850  to  the  time  when  the 
railroad  superseded  the  "prai- 
rie schooner."  How  many 
blows  from  the  ox-whip  have 
fallen  on  the  sides  of  the  pa- 
tient oxen  as  they  toiled  along,  : 
hauling  the  ponderous  wag- 
ons of  the  freighters,  or  the  ; 
lighter  vehicles  of  the  emi-  r 
grant !  How  often  the  sharp 
ring  of  the  "  popper  "  aroused 
the  timid  hare  or  graceful 
antelope,  and  frightened 
them  away  from  their  meal 
of  waving  grass !  How  many 
tremendous,  jaw -breaking 
oaths  fell  from  the  lips  of 
the  "bull-whackers"  during 
that  period,  we  will  not  even 
guess  at;  but  pious  divines 
tell  us  that  there  is  a  Statisti- 
cian wno  has  kept  a  record 
of  all  such  expletives;  to 
that  authority  we  refer  our 
readers  who  are  fond  of  fig- 
ures. Once  in  a  while,  too, 
the  traveler  will  catch  a 
glimpse  of  a  lone  grave, 
marked  by  a  rude  head-board, 
on  these  plains ;  and  with  the 


time  and  skill  to  decipher  the  old  and 
time-stained  hieroglyphics  with  which  it 
is  decorated,  will  learn  that  it  marks  the 
last  resting-place  of  some  emigrant  or 
freighter,  who,  overcome  by  sickness,  laid 
down  here  and  gave  up  the  fainting  spirit 
to  the  care  of  Him  who  gave  it ;  or,  per- 
chance, will  learn  that  the  tenant  of  this 
rentless  house  fell  while  defending  his 
wife  and  children  from  the  savage  Indians, 
who  attacked  the  train  in  the  gray  dawn  ot 
darker  night.  There  is  a  sad,  brief  his- 
tory connected  with  each  told  to  the  passer- 
by, mayhap  in  rude  lines,  possibly  b}'  the 
broken  arrow  or  bow,  rudely  drawn  on  the 
mouldering  head-board.  However  rude  or 
rough  the  early  emigrants  may  have  been, 
it  can  never  be  charged  to  them  that  they 
ever  neglected  a  comrade.  The  sick  were 
tenderly  nursed,  the  dead  decently  buried, 
and  their  graves  marked  by  men  who  had 
shared  with  them  the  perils  of  the  trip. 
Those  were  days,  and  these  plains  the 
place  that  tried  men's  mettle ;  and  here  the 
Western  frontiersman  shone  superior  to  all 


HIGH  SCHOOL,  OMAHA. 


30 


crofutt's  new  overlaxd  tourist 


others  who  ventured  to  cross  the  "vast 
desert,"  which  stretched  its  unknown 
breadth  between  him  and  the  land  of  his 
desires.  Brave,  cool  and  wary  as  the  sav- 
age, with  his  unerring  rifle  on  his  arm,  he 
was  more  than  a  match  for  any  red  devil  he 
migM  encounter.  Patient  under  adversity, 
fertile  in  resources,  he  was  an  invaluable 
aid  at  all  times;  a  true  friend,  and  bitter 
foe.  This  type  of  people  is  fast  passing 
away. 

The  change  wrought  within  the  last 
few  years  has  robbed  the  plains  of  its 
most  attractive  feature,  to  those  who  are 
far  away  from  the  scene — the  emigrant 
train.  Once,  the  south  bank  of  the  Platte 
was  one  broad  thoroughfare,  whereon  the 
long  trains  of  the  emigrants,  with  their 
white-covered  wagons,  could  be  seen 
stretching  away  for  many  miles  in  an  almost 
unbroken  chain.  Now,  on  the  north  side  of 
the  same  river,  in  almost  full  view  of  the 
"old  emigrant  load,"  the  cars  are  bearing 
the  freight  and  passengers  rapidly  west 
ward,  while  ihe  oxen  that  used  to  toil  so 
wearily  along  this  route,  have  been  trans- 
formed into  ''western  veal"  to  tickle  the 
palates  of  those  passengers,  or  else,  like 
Tiny  Tim,  they  have  been  compelled  to 
*'move  on"  to  some  new  fields  of  labor. 

To  give  some  idea  of  the  great  amount 
of  freighting  done  on  these  plains  we  pre- 
sent a  few  figures,  which  were  taken  from 
the  books  of  freighting  films  in  Atchison, 
Kansas.  In  1865,  this  place  was  the  prin- 
cipal point  on  the  Missouri  River,  from 
which  freight  was  forwarded  to  the  Great 
West,  including  Colorado,  Utah,  Montana, 
&c.  There  were  loaded  at  this  place, 
4,480  wagons,  drawn  by  7,310  mules,  and 
29,720  oxen.  To  control  and  drive  these 
trains,  an  army  of  5,610  men  was  em- 
ployed. The  freight  taken  by  ihese  trains 
amounted  to  27,000  tons.  Add  to  these 
authenticated  accounts,  the  estimated  busi- 
ness of  the  other  shipping  points,  and  the 
amount  is  somewhat  astounding.  Compe- 
tent authority  estimated  the  amount  of 
freights  shipped  during  that  season  from 
Kansas  City,  Leavenworth,  St.  Joe,  Omaha 
and  Plattsmouth,  as  being  fully  equal,  if  not 
more  than  was  shipped  from  Atchison, 
with  a  corresponding  number  of  men, 
wagons,  mules  and  oxen.  Assuming  these 
estimates  to  be  correct,  we  have  this  result  : 
During  1865,  there  were  employed  in  this 
business,  8,960  wagons,  14,620  mules,  59,- 
440  cattle,  and  1 1 ,220  men,  who  moved  to 
its  destination,  54,000  tons  of  freight.    To 


accomplish  this,  the  enormous  sum  of  $7,- 
289,300  was  invested  in  teams  and  wagons^ 
alone. 

But  to  return  to  the  river,  and  leave  facts 
and  figures  for  something  more  interesting. 
"But,"  says  the  reader,  "Ain't  the  Platte 
River  a  fact?"  Not  much,  for  at  times, 
after  you  pass  above  Julesburg,  there  is 
more  fancy  than  fact  in  the  streams.  In 
1863,  teamsters  were  obliged  to  excavate 
pits  in  the  sand  of  the  river-bed  before  they 
could  find  water  enough  to  water  their 
stock.  Again,  although  the  main  stream 
looks  like  a  mighty  river,  broad  and  ma- 
jestic, it  is  as  deceiving  as  the  "make  up" 
of  a  fashionable  woman  of  to-day.  Many 
places  it  looks  broad  and  deep ;  try  it,  and 
you  will  find  that  your  feet  touch  the 
treacherous  sand  ere  your  instep  is  under 
water;  another  place,  the  water  appears  to 
be  rippling  along  over  a  smooth  bottom, 
close  to  the  surface ;  try  that,  and  in  you 
go,  over  your  head  in  water,  thick  with 
yellowish  sand.  You  don't  like  the  Platte 
when  you  examine  it  in  this  manner.  The 
channel  is  continually  shifting,  caused  by 
the  vast  quantities  of  sand  which  are  con- 
tinually tioating  down  its  muddy  tide.  The 
sand  is  very  treacherous,  too,  and  woe  to 
the  unlucky  wight  who  attempts  to  cross 
this  stream  before  he  has  become  acquaint- 
ed with  the  fords.  Indeed,  he  ought  to  be 
introduced  to  the  river  and  all  its  branches 
before  he  undertakes  the  perilous  task.  Iri 
crossing  the  river  in  early  times,  should 
the  wagons  come  to  a  stop,  down  they  sank 
in  the  yielding  quicksand,  until  they  were 
so  firmly  imbedded  that  it  required  more 
than  double  the  original  force  to  pull  them 
out;  and  often  they  must  be  unloaded,  to 
prevent  the  united  teams  from  puiling 
them  to  pieces,  while  trying  to  lift  the  load 
and  wagon  from  the  sandy  bed.  The 
stream  is  generally  very  shallow  during 
the  fall  and  winter ;  in  many  places  no 
more  than  six  or  eight  inches  in  depth, 
over  the  whole  width  of  the  stream.  Nu- 
merous small  islands,  and  some  quite 
large,  are  seen  while  passing  along,  which 
will  be  noticed  in  their  proper  place. 

The  Platte  River  has  not  done  much  for 
navigation,  neither  will  it,  yet  it  drains  the 
waters  of  a  vast  scope  of  country,  thereby 
rendering  the  immense  valleys  fertile; 
many  thousand  acres  of  which,  during  the 
past  few  years,  have  been  taken  up  and 
successfully  cultivated. 

The  average  width  of  the  river,  from 
where  it  empties  into  the  Missouri  to  the 


AND  PACIFIC    COAST   GUIDE. 


31 


junction  o?  the  North  and  South  Forks,  is 
not  far  from  three-fourths  of  a  mile ;  its 
average  depth  is  six  inches.  In  the  months 
of  September  and  October  the  river  is  at 
its  lowest  stage. 

The  lands  lying  along  this  river  are  a 
portion  of  the  land  granted  to  the  Union 
Pacific  railroad,  and  the  company  are 
offering  liberal  terms  and  great  inducements 
to  settlers.  Much  of  the  land  is  as  fine 
agricultural  and  grazing  land  as  can  be 
found  in  any  section  of  the  Northwest. 
Should  it  be  deemed  necessary  to  irrigate 
liiese  plains,  as  some  are  inclined  to  think 
is  the  case,  there  is  plenty  of  fall  in  either 
fork,  or  in  the  main  river,  for  the  purpose, 
and  during  the  months  when  irrigation  is 
required,  there  is  plenty  of  water  for  that 
purpose,  coming  from  the  melting  snow  on 
the  mountains.  Ditches  could  be  led  from 
either  stream  and  over  the  plains  at  little 
expense.  Many,  however,  claim  that  in 
ordinary  seasons,  irrigation  is  unnecessaiy. 

From  Omaha  to  the  Platte  River,  the 
course  of  the  road  is  southerly,  until  it 
nears  the  river,  when  it  turns  to  the  west, 
forming,  as  it  were,  an  immense  elbow. 
Thence  along  the  'valley,  following  the 
river,  it  runs  to  Kearny,  with  a  slight 
southerly  depression  df  its  westerly  course ; 
but  from  thence  to  the  North  Platte  it  re- 
covers the  lost  ground,  and  at  this  point  is 
nearly  due  west  from  Fremont,  the  first 
point  where  the  road  reaches  the  river, 
That  is  as  far  as  we  will  trace  the  course 
of  the  road  at  present. 

The  first  view  of  the  Platte  Valley  is  im- 
pressive, and  should  the  traveler  chance  to 
behold  it  for  the  first  time  in  the  spring  or 
early  summer,  it  is  then  very  beautiful ; 
should  he  behold  it  for  the  first  time,  when 
the  heat  of  the  summer's  sun  has  parched 
the  plains,  it  may  not  seem]  inviting ;  its 
beauty  may  be  gone,  but  its  majestic  grand- 
eur still  remains.  The  eye  almost  tires  in 
searching  for  the  boundary  of  this  vast  ex- 
panse, and  longs  to  behold  some  rude  moun- 
tain peak  in  the  distance,  as  proof  that 
the  horizon  is  not  the  girdle  that  en- 
circles this  valley. 

When  one  gazes  on  mountain  peaks  and 
diMnal  gorges,  on  foaming  cataracts  and 
mountain  torrents,  the  mind  is  filled  with 
awe  and  wonder,  perhaps  fear  of  Him  who 
hath  created  these  grand  and  sublime  won- 
ders. On  the  other  hand,  these  lovely 
plains  and  smiling  valleys— clothed  In 
verdure  and  decked  with  flowers— fill  the 
laind  with  love  and  veneration  for  their 


Creator,  leaving  on  the  heart  the  impres- 
sion of  a  joy  and  beauty  which  shall  last 
forever. 

Returning  to  Fremont— and  the  railroad 
— ^we  proceed  seven  miles  to 

Ames — formerly  called  Ketchum — 
only  a  side  track.  Near  this  station,  and  at 
other  places  along  the  road,  the  traveler 
will  notice  fields  fenced  with  a  tine  willow 
hedge,  which  appears  to  thrive  wonderful- 
ly.   Eight  miles  further  we  reach 

^K^ortli  Bend — which  is  situated  near 
the  river  bank,  and  surrounded  by  a  fine 
agricultural  country,  where  luxuriant 
crops  of  corn  give  evidence  of  the  fertility 
of  the  soil.  The  place  has  materially  im- 
proved within  the  last  few  years  and  now 
has  some  fine  stores,  two  hotels,  a  grain 
elevator,  and  about  75  dwellings  and 
places  of  business,  and  a  population  of 
about  350.  Young  cottonwood  groves  have 
been  set  out  in  many  places— good  fences 
built,  and  altogether  the  town  has  a  pro- 
gressive appearance. 

Leaving  the  station,  for  a  few  miles  the 
railroad  track  is  laid  nearer  the  river's 
bank  than  at  any  point  between  Fremont 
and  North  Platte.  Seven  miles  from  here 
we  arrive  at 

llogeris — a  new  station,  and  appar- 
ently one  of  promise — 7  4-10  miles  further 
is 

Schnyler-^the  comity  seat  of  Colfax 
county,  containing  1,000  inhabitants, 
and  rapidly  improving.  It  has  five 
churches,  two  very  good  hotels,  with  court- 
house, jail,  school-houses,  many  stores,  a 
grain  elevator,  and  several  small  manu- 
factories. The  bridge  over  the  Platte 
River,  two  miles  south,  centres  at  this 
town  a  large  amount  of  business  from  the 
south  side  of  the  river. 

From  Schuyler  it  is  7  8-10  miles  to 

Benton— formerly  called  Cooper; 
later,  Richland— a  small  side-track 
station,  from  which  it  is  eight  miles  to 

Oolnnibni§( — the  county  seat  of  Platte 
county,  a  substantial  growing  city,  which 
contains  about  2,500  inhabitants,  has  two 
banks,  six  churches,  several  schools,  good 
hotels,  and  two  weekly  newspapers, — the 
Platte  Journal  and  the  Era.  The  Ham- 
mond is  the  principal  hotel. 

Columbus— from  its  location  in  the 
midst  of  the  finest  agricultural  lands  in 
the  Platte  Valley,  with  the  rich  valley  of 
the  Loup  on  the  north — has  advantages 
that  will,  at  no  distant  day,  make  it  a  city 
of  many  thousand  inhabitants. 


32 


crofutt's  new  overland  tourist 


George  Francis  Train  called  Columbus 
the  geographical  center  of  the  United 
States,  and  advocated  the  removal  of  the 
National  Capitol  to  this  place.  We  have 
very  little  doubt,  should  George  ever  be 
elected  President,  he  will  carry  out  the 
idea,  when  we  shall  behold  the  Capital  of 
the  Union  located  on  these  broad  plains— but 
we  shall  not  buy  corner  lots  on  the  strength 
of  the  removal. 

In  July  and  August,  1867,  Columbus  was 
a  busy  place,  and  the  end  of  the  track. 
Over  10,000,00a  lbs.  of  Government  corn 
and  other  freight  was  re-shipped  from 
here  to  Fort  Laramie,  and  the  military 
camps  in  the  Powder  River  country. 
The  Burlington  and  Missouri  River 
Railroad  reaches  this  place  from  the 
southward,  and  the  Omaha,  Niobrara 
&  Black  Hills  Railroad  leads  off  to  the 
northward.     See  Annex  No.  66. 

Soon  after  leaving  Columbus  we  cross 
Loup  Fork  on  a  fine  bridge,  constructed  in 
the  most  substantial  manner.  This  stream 
rises  75  miles  northeast  of  North  Platte 
City,  and  runs  through  a  fine  farming 
country  until  it  unites  with  the  Platte. 
Plenty  of  fish  of  various  kinds  are  found 
in  the  stream,  and  its  almost  innumerable 
tributaries.  These  little  streams  water  a 
section  of  country  unsurpassed  in  fertility 
and  agricultural  resources.  Game  in 
abundance  is  found  in  the  valley  of  the 
Loupe,  consisting  of  deer,  antelope,  turkeys 
and  prairie  chickens,  while  the  streams 
abound  in  ducks  and  geese. 

From  Columbus  it  is  7  6-10  miles  to 

Dnncan— formerly  called  Jackson 
—surrounded  by  well  cultivated  fields. 

Passmg  along,  and  just  before  reaching 
the  next  station,  we  cross  a  small  stream 
called  Silver  Creek.  From  Duncan  it 
is  10  1-10  miles  to  the  station  of 

Silver  Creek— This  section  of  coun- 
try  has  improved  very  rapidly  during  the 
last  few  years,  and  we  notice  many  sub- 
stantial evidences  of  thrift  in  every  direc- 
tion— many  new  buildings. 

To  the  northeast  of  this  station  is  the 
old  Pawnee  Indian  Resei-vation,  but  not 
visible  from  the  cars  It  covered  a  tract 
of  country  15x30  miles  in  area,  most  of 
which  is  the  best  of  land.  About  2,000 
acres  are  under  cultivation.  The  tribe,  num- 
bering about  2,000,  were  removed  to  the  In- 
dian Territory  in  1878  by  the  Government 
and  the  lands  sold  at  auction. 
Again  we  speed  westward,  six  miles  to 


Havens — from  which  it  is  5  3-10 
miles  to 

Clark 'is— a  small  station  named  in 
honor  of  the  Gen.  Manager  of  the  road. 

The  surrounding  country  is  remark- 
ably rich  in  the  chief  wrealtn  of  a  nation 
—agriculture,  and  has  made  rapid  pro- 
gress. Of  1  jite  years, several  new  stores, 
a  church,  school  house  and  many  dwel- 
lings 'have  been  erected,  indicating 
permanent  prosperity.  From  Clark's 
it  is  5  6-10  miles  to 

Thummel— and  5  6-10  miles  more  to 
Central  City— formerlyLone  Tree, 
the  county  seat  of  Merrick  county.  It 
contains  a  population  of  about  900,  and 
is  surrounded  by  thrifty  farmers.  The 
''old  emigrant  road"  from  Omaha  to 
Colorado  crosses  the  river  opposite 
this  point,  at  the  old  "Shinn's  Ferry." 

The  more  recent  settlers  of  Lone  Tree, 
call  the  place  "Central  City,"  in  anticipa-. 
tion  of  the  early  completion  of  the  Ne- 
braska Central  railroad  to  this  place. 
Cottonwood  trees  have  been  planted  by 
many  of  the  settlers  about  their  homes, 
which  present  a  cheerful  and  homelike  ap- 
pearance. 

Passengers  should  notice  the  railroad 
track — for  40  miles  it  is  constructed  as 
straight  as  it  is  possible  to  build  a  road. 
When  the  sun  is  low  in  the  horizon,  at 
certain  seasons,  the  view  is  very  beau- 
tiful. Rolling  along  3  4-10  miles,  and 
we  arrive  at 

Paddock— seven  miles  more,  to 

Chapman 's— a  small  place,  compris- 
ing a  few  buildings,  near  the  station,  but 
the  country  around  about  is  a  broad  prai- 
rie, and  nearly  all  improved  and  settled  by 
thrifty  farmers. 

From  Chapman,  we  continue  wests  5-10 
miles  to 

liOekwood— a  small  side-track  station. 
Six  miles  further  and  we  are  at  our  supper, 
station, 

Orand  Island— the  county  seat  of 
Hall  county,  which  contains  a  population 
of  about  1,500.  It  is  provided  with  the 
usual  county  buildings,  several  banks, 
churches  of  various  denominations,  good 
schools,  several  hotels,  many  stores,  some 
very  pretty  private  rjesidences,  and  two 
weekly  newspapers,  grain  elevators 
and  one  of  the  largest  steam  flouring 
mills  in  the  State. 

Gran"H  Island  is  a  regular  eating  station, 
where  trains  going  west  stop  30  minutes 
for  supper,  and  those  for  the  East  have  the 


AND    PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


DEVIL*S  SLIDE,  WBBSR  CANYON,   UTAH. 


same  length  of  time  for  breakfast.  The 
eating-house  is  on  the  right  or  north  side 
of  the  track,  in  a  large,  new  building,  and 
the  meals  served  are  very  good.  It  is 
claimed  that  this  town  will  become  a  great 
railroad  center— in  proof  of  which  we 
notice  the  completion  of  the  St.  Joseph 
&  Denver  City  Eailroad  to  this  place— 
from  the  south— in  1879,  and  the  com- 
pletion of  the  Grand  Island  &  St.  Paul 
branch  of  the  Union  Pacific  to  St.  Paul 
—22  miles  northward— up  the  Loupe 
ForkBiver.  The  Union  Pacific  Ey.  Co. 
have  located  here  machine  and  repair 
shops,  round-house,  etc.,  being  the  end  of 
the  first  power  division  west  of  Omaha. 

This  station  was  named  after  Grand  Is- 
land in  the  Platte  River,  two  miles  distant, 
one  of  the  largest  in  the  river,  being  about 


Chinese  Cheap  Labor— "Work  for  nothing  and 
board  yourself  '—from  the  inhabitants  of  your 
neighbor's  hen-roost. 


bO  miles  in  length  bv  four  in  width.  The 
Island  is  well  woodea — cottonwood  princi- 
pally, ana,  some  years  after  completion  of 
the  railroad  was  a  government  reservation. 
When  the  road  was  first  built  to  Grand 
Island,  buffalo  were  quite  numerous,  their 
range  extending  over  200  miles  to  the 
westward.  In  the  spring,  these  animala 
were  wont  to  cross  the  Platte,  from  the  Ar- 
kansas and  Republican  valleys,  where  they 
had  wintered,  to  the  northern  country,  re- 
turning again,  sleek  and  fat,  late  in  the 
fall;  but  since  the  country  has  become 
settled,  few,  if  any,  have  been  seen.  In 
1860,  immense  numbers  were  on  these 
plains  on  the  south  side  of  the  Platte,  near 
Fort  Kearny,  the  herds  being  so  large 
that  often  emigrant  teams  had  to  stop 
while  they   were  crossing  the  road.    At 


It  is  said  that  in  San  Francisco  the  people  can 
drink,  and  carry  more  without  staggering,  than  ia 
any  city  of  the  world. 


34 


crofutt's  new  overland  tourist 


Fort  Keamy,  in  1859  and  1860,  an  order 
was  issued  forbidding  the  soldiers  to  shoot 
the  buffalo  on  the  parade  ground. 

Proceeding  westward  7  .7-10  miles,  we 
reach 

Alda — a  small  station  just  east  of 
Wood  River.  • 

After  crossing  the  river,  the  road  follows 
along  near  the  west  bank  for  many  miles, 
through  a  thickly  settled  country,  the 
farms  in  summer  being  covered  with  lux- 
uriant crops  of  wheat,  oats  and  corn.  Wood 
River  rises  in  the  bluffs,  and  runs  south- 
east until  its  waters  unite  with  those  of  the 
Platte.  Along  the  whole  length  of  the 
stream  and  its  many  tributaries,  the  land 
for  agricultural  purposes  is  surpassed  by 
none  in  the  Northwest,  and  we  might  say 
in  the  world.  The  banks  of  the  river  and 
tributaries  are  well  wooded,  the  streams 
abound  in  fish  and  wild-fowl,  and  the 
country  adjacent  is  well  supplied  with 
game,  deer,  antelope,  turkeys,  chickens, 
rabbits,  etc.,  forming  a  fine  field  for  the 
sportsman. 

This  valley  was  one  of  the  earliest  settled  in 
Central  Nebraska,  the  hardy  pioneers  tak- 
ing up  their  lands  when  the  savage  Indians 
held  possession  of  this,  their  favorite  hunt- 
ing-ground. Many  times  the  settlers 
were  driven  from  their  homes  by  the  In- 
dians, suffering  fearfully  in  loss  of  life  and 
property,  but  as  often  returned  again, 
and  again,  until  they  succeeded  in  secur- 
ing a  firm  foothold.  To-day  the  evidences 
of  the  struggle  can  be  seen  in  the  low, 
strong  cabins,  covered  on  top  with  turf, 
and  the  walls  loop-holed,  and  enclosed 
with  *he  same  material,  which  guards  the 
roofs  from  the  fire-brands,  bullets  and  ar- 
rows of  the  warriors. 
Fr^  -  ^  Ida,  it  is  8  1-10  miles  to 
\«^«iot&  jL»wer — a  small  station.  Here 
can  be  seen  one  of  the  old-fashioned  speci- 
mens of  plains  station-men,  in  the  person 
of  Charley  Davis.  He  keeps  an  eating- 
house  and  saloon,  where  freight  and  emi- 
grant trains  often  stop  for  meals.  Char- 
ley's specialty  is  the  "Jerusalem  Pickle." 
A  good  "square  meal"  is  served  for  50 
cents. 
Passing  on  7  5-10  miles,  we  reach 
IShelton— a  side-track,  where  a  flour- 
ing mill,  store,  and  a  few  dwelling  houses 
constitute  the  place.  To  the  westward  5 
8-10  miles,  is 

Oibbon — It  is  situated  in  the  midst  of 
u  fine  farming  country,  was  once  the  coun- 
iy  seat  of  Burralo  county,  and  is  a  thriving 


place,  with  a  population  of  about  100. 
Proceeding,  it  is  8  4-10  miles  to 
Bada — formerly   Kearny — later, 
Shelby — a  station  of  little  account. 

Westward  again  four  miles,  and  we 
reach  a  place  of  some  importance, 

Kearny  Jonction— the  county 
seat  of  Buffalo  county— named  for 
the  old  fort  of  that  name  on  the  south 
side  of  the  river,  nearly  opposite. 

In  1873,  the  first  few  buildings  were 
€  acted  here,  since  which  time  the  place 
has  improved  wonderfully.  It  now  con- 
tains a  population  of  over  1,200,  with  two 
weekly  papers. 

The  citizens,  as  a  class,  are  enterpris- 
ing, law-abiding  representatives  from 
nearly  every  State  m  America,  with  a 
few  from  foreign  countries. 

Here  the  B.  &  M.  R.  R.  in  Neb.  comes 
in  from  the  south— crossing  the  Platte 
River— two  miles  distant— and  forms 
a  junction  with  the  Union  Pacific.  This 
road  runs  through  a  rich,  well-settled 
agricultural  country. 

The  local  business  coming  in  on  the  B. 
&  M.  and  the  Union  Pacific  makes  this 
place  one  of  unusual  activity  and  business 
promise.  The  town  contains  the  usual 
county  buildings,  which  are  built  of  brick, 
has  two  banks,  six  fine  churches,  two 
schools,  many  stores  of  all  kinds,  several 
hotels— the  Atkins  and  the  Grand  Central 
are  the  principal— and  some  fine  private 
residences. 

The  country  around  the  town  is  not  as 
good  agricultural  land  as  we  have  seen 
further  to  the  eastward,  yet  some  good 
crops  of  grain  are  raised,  and  large  quanti- 
ties ai-e  hauled  here,  to  be  shipped  to  the 
East,  West  and  South. 

From  this  point  west,  the  country  is  oc- 
cupied principally  by  the  stock  men. 

Stages  leave  here'  daily,  except  Sunday, 
for  the  Republican  Valley,  and  all  interme- 
diate points,  carrying  the  U.  S.  mail  to 
Franklin,  Bloomington,  Republican  City, 
Oileans  and  Melrose,  where  connections 
are  made  with  stages  for  ev«i*y  town  in  the 
Upper  Republican  Valley  and  Northern 
Kansas. 

Let  us  take  a  look  at  the  grounds  on 
which  stood  old 

Fort  Kearny — This  post  was  first 
established  at  Fort  Childs,  Indian  Terri- 
tory, in  1848,  by  volunteers  of  the  Mexican 
war — changed  to  Fort  Kearny  in  March, 
1849.  In  1858  the  post  was  re-built  by  the 
late  Brevet-Colonel  Charles  May,  3d  Dra- 


*» 


'5;::  -.'  ^^«- 


SUTTEE'S   MILL-RACE— WHERE   GOLD    Wi 


RST  DISCOVKKKD    IN    CALIFORNIA. 


•    •     .  <;• 


AND  PACIFIC   COAST  GrUIDE. 


35 


gooHS.  It  is  situated  five  miles 
south  of  Kearny  station,  and  nine 
miles  via  Burlington  &  Missouri 
railroad  from  Kearny  junction,  on 
the  south  bank  of  the  Platte,  which 
is  at  this  point  three  miles  wide, 
and  full  of  small  islands.  The  fort 
is  in  latitude  40  deg.  33  min.,  longi- 
tude 99  deg.  6  min. 

In  the  fall  of  1872,  all  the  Gov- 
ernment buildings,  worth  moving, 
were  removed  to  North  Platte  and 
Sidney,  on  the  Union  Pacific  Eail- 
way,  291  and  412  miles,  respect- 
ively, west  from  Omaha,  and  the 
post  abandoned.  The  remains  of 
the  dead  bodies  of  soldiers,  buried 
at  Kearny,  were  taken  up  and  re- 
intered  in  the  National  Cemetery,  at 
Fort  McPherson. 

Two  miles  above  the  Fort,  on  the 
south  bank,  is  Kearny  City,  in  the 
early  days  more  commonly  called 
*'Dobey  Town."  This  was  once  a 
great  point  with  the  old  Overland 
Stage  Company,  and  at  that  time 
contained  about  five  hundred  in- 
habitants, the  greater  portion  of 
which  left  upon  the  abandonment 
of  the  line  and  the  south-side  route 
of  travel.  But  we  are  told  that 
settlers  are  coming  in  fast,  and  it 
will  soon  regain  its  "old  time"  figu- 
res. 

Returning  to  Kearny  Junction,  5 
9-10  miles  brings  us  to 

Stevenson— a  side-track, — unim- 
portant.   Again,  four  miles  west  is 

Odessa— another  small  station j— 
from  which  it  is  6  3-10  miles  to 

V^lm    Creek    Station— a   small 

§lace  of  several  stores  and  a  few 
wellings. 

Soon  after  leaving  the  station,  we 
cross  Elm  Creek,  a  small,  deep,  and 
quite  lengthy  stream.  It  was  well 
wooded  before  the  advent  of  the  rail- 
road, the  timber  consisting  almost 
entirely  of  red  elm,  rarely  found  else- 
where in  this  part  of  the  country. 

From  Elm  Creek  station  it  is  nine 
miles  to 

Overton— This  is  another  small 
station  of  a  few  buildings.  It  is  situ- 
ated on  a  branch  of  Elm  Creek. 

The  Platte  Valley  along  here,  and 

for  the  fifty  miles  over  which  we  have 

just  passed,  is  very  broad;  nearly  all 

the  best  land  has  been  taken  up,  or  pur- 

3 


To  be  weU  armed  and  ready  for  a  fight,  is  "to 
be  heeled." 

The  Indians  on  the  plains  call  the  locomotiyes 
and  cars  "  bad  medicine  wagons." 


S6 


CROFUTT'S   NEW   OVEKLAND   TOURIST 


chased,  but  only  a  small  portion  is  under 
cultivation. 

Passing  on,  4  miles  brings  us  to 

JTosselyn — a  side-track  station,  named 
after  the  paymaster  of  the  road,  a  much 
more  important  person  to  the  employes 
than  the  station,  as  trains  do  not  always 
stop  here,  but  roll  on  five  miles  further  to 

Plum  Creek— the  county  seat  of 
Dawson  county.  It  contains  a  population 
of  about  800,  has  a  fine,  brick  court-house, 
two  churches,  a  school-house,  several  ho- 
tels, four  stores,  a  bridge  across  the  Platte, 
to  the  south,  and  a  weekly  newspaper— the 
Pioneer.  The  town  was  named  after  an 
old  stage  station  and  military  camp,  situ- 
ated on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  on  Plum 
Creek,  a  small  stream  which  heads  in  very 
rugged  blufls  southwest  of  the  old  station, 
aud  empties  its  waters  into  the  Platte— 
opposite  Plum  Creek  station  on  the  rail- 
road. 

This  old  station  was  the  nearest  point  on 
the  "  old  emigrant  road  "  to  tho  Republi- 
can River,  the  heart  of  the  grea  Indian 
rendezvous,  and  their  supposed  secure 
stronghold,  being  but  about  18  miles  away. 
Around  the  old  Plum  Creek  station  many 
of  the  most  fearful  massacres  which  oc- 
curred during  the  earliest  emigration  were 
perpetrated  by  the  Sioux,  Cheyenne,  and 
Arapahoe  Indians.  The  jluffs  here  come 
very  close  to  th^  river,  afi'ording  the  savages 
an  excellent  opportunity  for  surprising  a 
train,  and,  being  ver;^^  abrupt  and  cut  up 
with  gulches  and  canons,  afi'ording  them 
hiding-places,  from  which  they  swooped 
down  upon  the  luckless  emigrant,  often 
massacring  the  larger  portion  of  the 
party. 

Returning  to  the  railroad,  7  8-10  miles 
brings  us  to 

Coyote — an  unimportant  station. 

Here  the  bottoms  are  very  wide,  having 
increased  in  width  for  many  miles. 

In  early  days,  all  along  the  river,  for  a 
distance  of  50  mjles,  the  islands  and  low- 
lands were  covered  with  cottonwood  tim- 
ber, but  since  the  completion  of  the  rail- 
road, the  greater  portion  have  been  cut  down 
and  removed  by  the  settlers.  Where,  in 
1860,  were  huge  "  cotton  woods,  now  are 
wheat-fields,  or  young  cottonwoods  and 
willows.  We  are  now  in  a  section  of 
country  where  la'ge  quantities  of  hay  are 
put  up  annually  for  shipment, 

Passing  on  6  miles,  we  reach 

Cozad — About  one-fourth  mile  be- 
fore reaching  this  station,  on  the  right,  we 


cross  the  100th  meridian,  marked  by  a  sign, 
which  reads,  in  large  letters  *'  100th  Me- 
ridian." 

This  place  was  named  by  a  gentleman 
from  the  East,  who  purchased  40,000  acres 
of  land  from  the  railroad  company  here, 
and  laid  out  a  town.  It  has  not  been  a 
"  huge  success  "  as  a  speculation,  so  far, 
but  by  a  thorough  system  of  irrigation 
could  be  made  very  productive.  There  are 
a  few  good  buildings  at  and  near  the  sta- 
tion, and  some  herds  of  cattle  and  sheep 
rangenear  by;  in  fact,  this  section  of  coun- 
try is  more  adapted  to  stock-raising  than 
it  is  for  agricultural  purposes. 

The  high  bluflfs  to  the  south  and  west — 
our  road  here  runs  nearly  north — looming 
up  in  the  distance,  are  on  the  south  side 
of  the  Platte  River,  25  miles  distant 
From  Cozad,  it  is  five  miles  to 
"Willow  Island— population  100 — 
named  from  an  island  in  the  Platte  River, 
near  by,  the  second  in  size  in  that  river. 
For  some  distance  before  reaching  this 
station,  large  herds  of  cattle  and  sheep  can 
be  seen,  particularly  on  the  opposite  side 
ot  the  river,  where  can  also  be  seen  some 
of  the  old  adobe  ranches  of  the  days  when 
the  "overland  stage*'  was  the  fastest 
method  of  crossing  these  plains. 

We  are  now  beyond  the  agricultural  sec- 
tion, and  are  entering  the  great  grazing  re- 
gion of  the  West 

For  some  years  after  the  completion  of 
the  road  the  traveler  could  see,  near  this 
place,  and  in  fact  for  many  miles  beyond 
North  Platte,  some  of  the  old  log  houses  of 
the  early  settlers,  with  their  sides  pierced 
with  loop-holes  and  walled  up  with  turf, 
the  roofs  being  covered  with  the  same  ma- 
terial, which  reminds  one  of  the  savage 
against  whom  these  precautions  were . 
taken.  In  fact,  from  here  up  the  river,  the 
traveler  will  doubtless  observe  many  of 
the  rude  forts  along  the  roadside  as  well  as 
at  the  stations.  The  deserted  ranches  to  be 
met  with  along  the  "  old  emigrant  road," 
on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  are  fortified 
in  the  same  manner.  The  fort  was  gener- 
ally built  of  logs,  covered  on  top  and 
walled  on  the  side  in  the  manner  described. 
They  are  pierced  with  loop-holes  on  all 
sides,  and  afforded  a  safe  protection  against 
the  Indians.  They  generally  stood  about 
fifty  yards  from  the  dwelling,  from  which 
an  underground  passage  led  to  the  fort 
When  attacked,  the  settlers  would  retreat 
to  their  fortification  where  they  would 
fight  it  out;  and  until  the  Indians  got  "ed- 


AND    PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


37 


ucated,"  many  a  "red  brother"  would  get 

^a  shot — to  him  unawares — which  would 

send  him  to  his  "  Happy  Hunting-ground." 

As  we  pass  along  to  the  next  station,  10 
3-10  miles,  the  passenger  will  note  that  our 
direction  is  nearly  north,  with  the  bottom 
lands  getting  narrower  as  we  proceed. 

Warren — This  is  simply  a  side-track, 
where  trains  seldom  stop.  The  grass  here 
is  short  and  thick  on  the  upland,  and 
coarse  and  tall  on  the  bottoms. 

Sand-hills  close  in  on  the  right,  and  the 
river  on  our  left,  as  we  proceed  eight  miles 
further  to 

Brady  Island— This  station  derives 
its  name  from  an  island  in  the  Platte 
River,  which  is  of  considerable  size.  In 
early  times  many  wandering  bands  of  In- 
dians were  wont  to  cross  the  river  at  this 
point,  and  for  months  at  a  time  camp  on 
the  Island  or  on  the  river  banks. 

H-endrey— is  a  side-track  4  9-10 
miles  further,  and  4  2-10  miles  from 


Man: ir ell — formerly  McPherson 
Station.  It  is  five  miles  from  the  Platte 
River  and  seven  miles  from  old  "Cot- 
tonwood Springs"  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  river,  with  which  it  is  connected 
by  a  bridge,  a  great  improvement  on 
the  old  ford. 

The  country  round  about  is  fertile, 
with  some  timber  on  the  river  bot- 
toms. A  large  amount  of  fine  mead- 
ow land  adjoins  the  station,  from 
which  are  cut  thousands  of  tons  of 
hay. 

FoKT  McPhekso>j— is  situated  on 
the  south  side  of  the  Platte  River, 
near  Cottonwood  Springs.  The  post 
was  established  February  20,  1866, 
by  Major  S.  W.  O'Brien,  of  the  7th 
Iowa  Cavalry.  It  was  originally 
known  as  "Cantonment  McKeon," 
and  also  as  "  Cottonwood  Springs," 
At  the  close  of  the  war,  when  the  regular 
army  gradually  took  the  place  of  the  vol- 


DALB  CREEK  BRIDGE,  NEAR  SHERMAN,  ON  THE  BLACK  HILLS  OF  WYOMING. 


38 


CROFUTT  S    NEW    OVERLAND    TOURIST 


unteers  who  had  been  stationed  on  ihe 
frontier  during  the  rebellion,  the  names  of 
many  of  the  forts  were  changed,  and  thev 
•were  re-named  in  memory  ot'  those  gal- 
lant officers  who  gave  their  lives  in  de- 
fense of  their  country.  Fort  McPherson 
was  named  after  Major-General  James  B. 
McPherson,  who  was  killed  in  the  battle 
before  Atlanta,  Georgia,  July,  32d,  1864. 
Supplies  are  received  via  McPherson  Sta- 
tion.' Located  in  latitude  41  deg.,  longi- 
tude 100  deg.  30  min. 

The  next  station  is  7  7-10  miles  further, 
named 

Oannett — a  side-track — nearly  five 
miles  from  where  the  trains  cross  the  long 
trestle  bridge  over  the 

North  Platte  River — This  river  rises 
in  the  mountains  of  Colorado,  in  ihe  Norih 
Park.  Its  course  is  to  the  northeast  from 
Its  source  for  several  hundred  miles,  when 
it  bends  around  to  the  southeast.  We  shall 
cross  it  again  at  Fort  Steele,  403  miles  fur- 
ther west.  The  general  characteristics  of 
the  stream  are  similar  to  tho^e  of  the 
South  Pfatte. 

For  100  miles  up  this  river  the  "  bottom 
lands  "  are  from  2  to  15  miles  wide,  very 
rich,  and  susceptible  of  cultivation,  though 
perhaps  requiring  irrigation.  Game  in 
abundance  is  found  in  this  valley,  and 
bauds  of  wild  horses  at  one  time  were 
numerous. 

Fort  Laramie  is  about  150  miles  from 
the  junction — near  where  the  Laramie 
River  unites  with  this  stream. 

On  the  west  bank  of  the  river,  80  miles 
north,  is  Ash  Hollow,  rendered  famous  by 
General  Harney,  wlio  gained  a  decisive 
victory  over  the  Sioux  Indians  here,  many 
years  ago. 

About  one  mile  beyond  the  bridge  and 
6  8-10  miles  from  Gannett  is  situated 

Nortli  Platte  City— the  county 
seat  of  Lincoln  county.  Elevation, 
2,789  feet;  distance  from  Omaha,  291 
miles.  Here  is  the  end  of  the  Eastern 
and  the  commencement  of  the  Moun- 
tain Division.  For  altitude  of  each 
station  see  "  Time  Table  "  No.  2  at  the 
end  of  the  Book.  This  is  a  regular 
eating  station  for  the  trains  on  the 
•*  Denver  Short  Line."  Breakfast  go- 
ing west ;  supper  coming  east. 

The  road  was  finished  to  this  place,  No- 
vember, 1866.  Here  the  company  have  a 
round-house  of  20  stalls,  a  blacksmith  and 
repair  shop,  all  of  stone.    In  these  shops 


are  employed — regularly — 76  men,  besides 
those  engaged  in  the  offices  and  yard.  The 
Railroad  House  is  the  principal  hotel. 

North  Platte  has  improved  very  rapidly 
during  the  last  three  years,  and  contains 
about  2,000  population.  Churches,  hotels, 
county  buildings,  and  scores  of  dwelliags 
have  been  built,  or  are  in  course  of  erection. 
A  new  bridge  has  been  completed  across 
the  South  Platte  River.  Two  weekly 
papers  are  publislied  here,  and  several 
others  projected.  Settlers'  houses, 
and  tens  of  thousands  of  cattle,  sheep  and 
hoi  ses  are  to  be  seen  in  every  direction. 
The  advantages  of  this  place,  as  a  stock 
range  and  shipping  puint,  exceed  all 
others  on  the  line  of  road.  . 

Messrs.  Keiih,  Barton,  and  Dillon,  citi- 
zens of  North  Platte  City,  have  a  herd  of 
15,000  head  "of  caitle— on  the  North  Platte 
above  the  City — and  there  are  many  other 
parties  living*  at  or  near  this  city,  who  own 
herds  of  from  500  to  5,000  head.  In  this 
country  a  man  that  only  owns  500  head,  is 
counted  a  "poor  shoat " — one  to  be  pitied. 

North  Platte,  in  its  palmiest  days, 
boasted  a  population  of  over  3,000,  which 
was  reduced  in  a  few  months  after  th6  road 
extended,  to  as  many  hundreds.  Until  the 
road  was  finished  to  Julesburg,  which  was 
accomplished  in  June,  186 T,  all  freight  for 
the  West  was  shipped  from  thispoint;  then 
the  town  was,  in  the  height  of  its  pros- 
perity; then  the  gamblers,  the  roughs  and 
scallawags,  who  afterward  rendered  the 
road  accursed  by  their  presence,  lived  in 
clover — for  there  were  hard-working,  fool- 
ish men  enough  in  the  town  to  aftbrd 
them  an  easy  living.  When  the  town  be- 
gan to  decline,  these  leaches  followed  up 
the  road,  cursing  with  their  upas  blight 
every  camp  and  town,  until  an  enraged  and 
long-sufi'ering  community  arose  in  their 
own  defense,  binding  themselves  together, 
a  la  vigilantes^  and,  for  want  of  a  legal 
tribunal,  took  the  law  into  their  own 
hands,  and  hung  them  to  the  first  projec- 
tion high  and  strong  enough  to  sustain 
their  worthless  carcasses.  But  many 
"  moved  on,"  and  we  shall  hear  of  them 
again  many  times  before  we  are  through. 

From  North  Platte  our  route  is  due 
west.    It  is  8  4-10  miles  to 

Xicliol«— an    unimportant   side- 
track. NorthPlatte  city  is  in  plain  sight 
—as  is  also  the  North  and  South  Platte 
Rivers— and  the  Valleys  of  the  same. 
From  Nichols  it  is  8  '5-10  miles  to 


AND   PACIFIC   COAST   GUIDE. 


39 


O'Fallon's  Station— situated  in 
the  sand  hills,  where  the  bluffs  on  the 
right  come  close  to  the  river.  On  the 
south  side  of  the  river  are  the  famous 
OTallon's  Bluffs,  a  series  of  sandhills 
interspersed  with  ravines  and  gulches 
which  come  close  to  the  river's  bank, 
forming  abrupt  bluffs,  which  turned 
the  emigrants  back  from  the  river, 
forcing  them  to  cross  these  sand  hills, 
a  distance  of  eight  miles,  thro'  loose 
yielding  sand,  devoid  of  vegetation. 
Here  as  well  as  at  all  points  where  the 
bluffs  come  near  the  river,  the  emi- 
grants suffered  severely,  at  times, 
from  the  attacks  of  the  Indians.  Op- 
posite, and  extending  above  this  point 
is  a  large  island  in  the  river,  once  a 
noted  camping  ground  of  the  Indians. 
O'Fallon's  Bluffs  are  the  first  of  a  se- 
ries of  sand  hills,  which  extend  north 
and  south  for  several  hundred  miles. 
At  this  point  the  valley  is  much  nar- 
rower than  that  thro'  which  we  have 
just  passed.  Here  we  first  enter  the 
"alkali  belt,"  which  extends  from  this 
poin,t  to  Julesburg— about  70  miles. 
The  soil  and  water  are  strongly  im- 
pregnated with  alkaline  substances. 

The  country  on  both  sides  of  the 
river  is  occupied  exclusively  for  graz- 
ing purposes.  The  first  volume  of  this 
book  instructed  passengers  to  keep 
their  "eye  peeled"  for  buffalo,  as  we 
are  now  getting  into  the  buffalo  range. 
During  the  spring  of  1873-74  immense 
numbers  roamed  over  this  country, 
along  the  road  for  100  miles  westward, 
but  few,  if  any,  have  been  seen  since 
that  time.  Passing  along  up  the  nar- 
row bottom,  with  the  bluffs  along  our 
right,  7  3-10  miles  brings  us  to  a  side- 
track, called 

Dexter — Trains  seldom  stop  here, 
and  7  2-10- miles  further  we  reach 

Alkali— on  an  alkali  bottom.  This 
station  is  directly  opposite  the  old 
stage  station  of  that  name  on  the  south 
side  of  the  river.  After  leaving  the  sta- 
tion the  road  passes  thro'  the  sand- 
bluffs,  which  here  run  close  to  the  riv- 
er's bank.  A  series  of  cuts  and  fills, 
extending  for  many  miles,  brings  us 
to  the  bottom  land  again.  From 
Alkali,  it  is  9  6-10  miles  to 

Roscoe — another  side-track  sta- 
tion. Passing  along  over  a  narrow 
bottom,with  sand  bluff  cuttings,  at  in- 
tervals, 9  6-10  miles  we  come  to 


Ogalalla— the  county  seat  of  Keith ' 
county.  The  settlers  here  are  all  more 
or  less  engaged  in  stock-raising.  It 
is  the  river  crossing  for  large  droves 
of  cattle  en  route  for  the  Indian  reser-j 
vation.  Fort  Laramie  and  the  Black 
Hills  country,  to  the  northward.  Near 
this  station,  several  years  ago,  at  a 
point  where  the  road  makes  a  short 
curve  and  crosses  the  mouth  of  a  ra- 
vine, the  Indians  attempted  to  wreck 
a  passenger  train,  by  suddenly  mass- 
ing their  ponies  on  the  track  ahead  of 
the  locomotive.  The  result  was,  some 
score  or  more  of  ponies  were  killed, 
without  damaging  the  train,  while  the 
men  used  their  "pistols"  and  guns 
pretty  freely  on  the  Indians,  who  were 
apparently  greatly  8urprised,eind  who 
now  called  the  locomotive  "Smoke 
wagon— big  chief !  Ugh ! !  no  good !" 

Passing  on  1  6-10  miles  we  pass 

Bosler — a  side-track  from  which 
it  is  8  miles  to 

Brale— near  is  the  old  California 
Crossing,  where  the  emigrants  cross- 
ed the  river  when  striking  for  the 
North  Platte  River  andFortLaramie, 
to  take  the  South  Pass  route  over- 
land. On  the  south  side  of  the  river, 
opposite  in  plain  view,  is  the  old 
ranche  and  trading  post  of  the  noted 
Indian  trader  and  Peace  Commission- 
er—Beauve— now  deserted. 

Passing  along  over  cuts  and  fills, 
9  7-10  miles,  we  reach 

Big  Springs— The  station  derives 
its  name  from  a  large  spring,  the  first 
found  on  the  road,  which  makes  out 
of  the  bluffs,  opposite  the  station,  on 
the  right  hand  side  of  the  road,  and  in 
plain  view  from  the  cars.  The  water 
is  excellent,  and  will  be  found  the  best 
along  this  road.  It  was  at  this  station 
where  the  "Blue  Spring's  robbery" 
took  place,  Sept.  18th  1877.  A  party  of 
twelve  masked  men  took  possession 
of  the  station,  bound  and  gagged  the 
meUj  cut  the  telegraph  wires,  when 
the  western  train  arrived  took  pos- 
session of  it  with  guns  and  revolvers, 
in  the  name  of  "hands  up".  The  rob- 
bers secured  $65,000  from  the  express 
car,  ^1,300  and  four  gold  watches  from 
passengers, then  mounted  theirhorses 
and  allowed  the  train  to  proceed.  No 
person  was  killed  or  injured,  but  all 
were  very  badly  frightened.  Imme-. 
diately  after  the  robbery,  a  reward  of 


40 


CKOFUTT  S  NEW  OVERLAND  GUIDE 


$10,000  was  offered  for  the  arrest  of  the 
perpetrators,  and  several  have  been 
caught  and  have  paid  the  penalty  of 
the  crime  with  their  lives.  About  one- 
half  of  the  money  has  been  recovered. 

After  leaving  this  station.we  pass  by 
a  series  of  cuts  and  fills,  and  another 
range  of  bluffs,  cut  up  by  narrow  ra- 
vines and  gorges.  At  points,  the  road 
runs  so  near  the  river  bank,  that  the 
water  seems  to  be  right  under  the  cars. 
But  we  emerge  again  after  7  8-10  miles 
and  come  to 

Uarton — a  small  signal  station  of 
very  little  importance,  from  which  it 
is  2  7-10  miles  to 

llenver  Junction— Here  the  new 
**  Omaha  &  Denver  Short  Line " 
branches  off  to  the  left. 

In  1873-4,  a  railroad  bed  was  graded 
up  the  north  side  of  the  Platte  river, 
in  the  interest  of  the  U.  P.  Ey.  Co., 
but  for  some  reason  the  ties  and  iron 
•were  not  laid  until  the  summer  of  1881. 
On  November  6th  of  that  year  the  first 
through  passenger  trains  commenc- 
ed making  regular  trips.  The  statioi^s 
and  distances  are  as   follows; 

MIIiES. 

Denver  June,  to  Sedgwick 14.8 

Sedgewick  to  Crook 15.6 

Crook  to  Iliff 15.5 

Iliff  to  Sterling,  (Dinner  Station.) 11.8 

Stelringto  Buffalo 12.7 

Buffalo  to  Snyder 16.9 

Snyder  to  Deuel 12.9 

Deuel  to  Orchard 17.6 

Orchard  to  Hardin 17,6 

Hardin  to  Lasalle 15.4 

Fom  Denver  Junction  to  LaSalle,    to  con- 
nect with  Cheyenne  Div.  U.  P.  By., 150.8 

From  LaSalle  to  Denver 46.4 


From  Denver  Junction  to  Denver 197.2 

"     Omaha  to  North  Platte .291. 

■"     North  Platte  to  Denver  Junction 80.4. 

Omaha  to  Denver,  via  "Short  Line," 568.6 

Omaha  to  Denver,  via  Cheyenne 622. 


Difference  in  favor  of  „Short  Line, " 53. 

The  Platte  River, west  of  North 
Platte  city,  is  called  the  South  Fork 
fOt  the  Platte.  We  have  ascended  it  al- 
jnost  on  its  banks,  over  350  miles,  and 
shall  now  leave  it,  as  the  "Overland 
Route"  turns  to  the  right,  and  north- 
west, and  follow  up  the  narrow  valley 
of  Lodge  Pole  Creek,  to  Egbert,  about 
100  miles  distant.  The  South  Fork  of 
the  Platte,  up  which  the  "Short  Line" 
is  built,  rises  in  the  South  Park  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains  of  Colorado,  about 


280  miles  distant.  The  valley  extends- 
from  the  Junction  up  the  river  about 
217  miles,  to  where  the  river  emerges 
from  the  mountains.  The  average 
width  of  the  valley  is  about  three 
miles,  the  soil  of  which,  in  places,  is 
very  rich,  producing  good  crops  with 
irrigation,  large  quantities  of  hay, 
and  most  excellent  grazing.  It  now 
supports,  with  the  adjoining  uplands, 
vast  herds  of  cattle,  sheep  and  horses. 

We  refer  the  reader,  for  full  infor- 
mation in  regard  to  Colorado,her  min- 
eral, stock-raising,  and  varied  re- 
sources, watering  places,  and  scenic 
attractions,  to  Crofutfs  Grip-Sack 
Guide  of  Colorado.  Sold  on  all  trains. 

From  Denver  Junct'n  it  is  6  miles  to 

Wier— formerly  Julesburgh,  sta- 
tion. Elevation  3,394  feet.  Until  1868, 
this  was  an  important  militaiy, freight, 
and  passenger  station,  since  when  it 
declined  to  a  simple  way  station.  The 
Union  Pacific  was  completed  to  this 
place  the  last  of  June,  1867,  and  all 
Government  freight  for  the  season 
was  shipped  to  this  point, to  be  reship- 
ped  on  wagons  to  the  north  and  west. 

At  that  time  Julesburgh  had  a  pop- 
ulation of  4,000 ;  now  the  town  is  al- 
most  deserted.  During  the  "lively 
times,"  Julesburgh  was  the  roughest 
of  all  towns  along  the  Union  Pacific 
line.  The  roughs  congregated  there, 
and  a  day  seldom  passed  but  what 
they"had  a  man  for  breakfast."  Gam- 
bling and  dance  houses  constituted 
the  greater  portion  of  the  town ;  and  it 
is  said  that  morality  and  honesty 
clasped  hands  and  departed.  We  have 
notlearned  whether  they  have  return- 
ed; and  really  we  have  our  doubts 
about  their  ever  having  been  there. 

Before  the  railroad,  the  last  of  Utah 
and  California  emigration  that  came 
up  the  Platte  crossed  opposite  the 
station,  and  followed  up  the  valley  of 
Lodge  Pole  Creek  to  Cheyenne  Pass. 

The  old,  old,  town  of  Julesburgh, 
was  situated  on  the  south  side  of  the 
Platte  river  nearly  opposite  this'  sta- 
tion and  was  named  for  Jules  Burgh 
who  was  brutally  assasinated  as  will 
be  related  in  Annex  No.  10. 

Near  this  old  town  was  the  site  of 

Fort  Sedgwick— this  post  was  es- 
tablished May  19.  1864,  by  the  Third 
U.  S.  Volunters,  and  named  after  Maj. 
Gen'l  John  Sedgwick.,  Col.  4th  Cav- 


AND   PACIFIC   COAST   GUIDE. 


41 


airy,  U.  S.  A.,  who  was  killed  in  battle 
at  Spottsylvania  C.  H.,  Va.,  May  9tli, 
1864.  It  is  located  in  the  northeast  cor- 
ner of  Colorado,  on  the  south  side  of 
the  Platte  river,  four  miles  distant, 
on  the  old  emigrant  and  stage  road  to 
Cllorado,  in  plain  view  from  the  cars. 
Latitude  31  deg.,  longitude  102  deg.  30 
min.— now  abandoned.  During  the 
winter  of  '65-'66,  most  of  the  wood  used 
at  Julesburg  and  Fort  Sedgwick,  was 
hauled  on  wagons  from  Denver,  at  an 
expense  of  from  $60  to  $75  per  cord,  for 
transportation  alone,  and  was  sold  to 
Government,  by  contract,  at  $105  per 
cord.  The  wood costinDenver about 
$20.  Besides  this  the  contractors  were 
allowed  by  Government  to  put  in  what 
hard  wood  they  could  get  at  double 
price, or  $210  a  cord, many  thought  this 
to  be  a  "pretty  soft  snap."  The  "hard 
wood"  was  obtained  in  the  scrub-oak 
bluffs  of  Colorado,  30  miles  south  of 
Denver,  and  cost  no  more  for  trans- 
portation than  did  the  soft. 

From  Wier  it  is  10  miles  to 

Chappell — a  small  side-track 
where  passenger  trains  seldom  stop, 
and  9  1-10  further  to 

liOilge  Pole— another  side-track. 
This  valley  is  narrow,  but  with  bluffs, 
and  a  great  open  prairie  country  to  the 
northward,  extending  to  the  North 
Platte  river,  a  distance  of  30  miles,  af- 
fords the  finest  grazing  range,  and 
large  herds  of  cattle,  and  numerous 
bands  of  antelope  can  be  seen  while 
passing  on  up  the  valley. 

Colton— is  a  small  station,  10  miles 
from  Lodge  Pole.  It  was  named  in  hon- 
or of  Francis  Colton,  Esq.,  a  former 
general  passenger  agent  of  the  road. 

From  Colton  it  is  7  7-10  miles  to 

Sidney — named  after  the  president 
of  the  road.  This  is  a  regular  eating 
station,  where  trains  stop  30  minutes, 
those  from  the  East  for  breakfast,  and 
from  the  West  for  supper.  Sidney  is 
the  county  seat  of  Cheyenne  county, 
Neb.,  and  within  the  last  few  years  has 
improved  in  buildings,  and  increased 
in  population,  until  it  now  contains 
about  1,500  people.  The  "Lockwood" 
the  largest  hotel,  is  situated  a  little 
to  the  west  of  the  station  from  which 
start  the  daily  stages  for  Deadwood 
in  the  Bl-ck 'Hills  of  Dakota.  Dis- 
tance 267  miles. 

Black  Hills  Gold  Mines— For  many 


years  anterior  to  the  building  of  the 
Pacific  Railway  vague  reporjbs  were 
circulating  among  old  plainsmen  and 
miners,  of  rich  gold  deposits  in  the 
Black  Hills  and  Big  Horn  country,  but 
until  Gen.  Custer,  with  a  military  ex- 
pedition, penetrated  to,  and  explored 
the  region  about  Harney's  Peak  in  '74, 
and  reported  gold  abundant,  the  soil 
rich,  the  country  well  timbered,  and 
most  desirable,  nothing  definite  was 
known.  In  '75  the  gold-seekers  began 
their  pilgrimage  to  the  "Hills,"  in  '76 
the  numbers  were  greatly  increase,but 
in  '77  the  great  rush  was  at  its  height. 
These  Hills  lie  between  the  43d  and 
45th  degrees  of  latitude,  and  the  103d 
and  105th  parallels  of  longitude ;  are 
about  100  miles  long  and  60  miles  wide. 
Besides  extensive  and  rich  veins  of 
gold  and  silver  yielding  quartz,  there 
are  found  to  be  vast  beds  of  coal,  iron, 
copper,  lead  and  mica.  Placer  mines 
aXQ  also  numerous,  many  of  which  are 
worked  with  profit.  The  country  is 
well  watered,  the  mountains  covered 
with  timber,  while  the  valleys  are 
very  rich  and  productive  agricultural 
lands.  For  grazing  purposes  the  coun- 
try about  and  adjacent  to  the  "Hills" 
is  unequaled,  and  stock  thrives  the 
year  around  upon  the  native  grass- 
es. The  population  of  this  region,  at 
present,  is  not  far  from  20.000;  the 
greater  portion  are  engaged  in  quartz 
mining.  The  ores  are  worked  prin- 
cipally by  the  stamp  process,  some  of 
the  largest  mills  in  this  country  being 
located  here.  The  mills  now  in  opera- 
tion aggregate  1,192  — stamps,  thun- 
dering away  night  and  day,  the  yield 
of  which,  including  the  placer  mines, 
for  1881  exceeded.  $4,500,000.  Dead- 
wood  is  the  principal  city,  out  of  a 
half  a  hundred  cities,  towns,  villages 
and  prosperous  mining  settlements. 
Sidney  is  the  chief  out-fitting  point 
for  the  "Hills,"  and  freight  in  large 
quantities  is  shipped  from  here  on 
wagons,  and  it  is  claimed  this  is  the 
shortest  and  most  comfortable  route. 
Sidney  has  some  good  business  blocks 
and  private  residences.  The  railroad 
company  have  a  lO-stall  round  house, 
machine  shop,  a  large  freight  ware- 
house and  depot  building. 


To  learn  all  about  Colorado,  buy  "Crofntt's 
Grip-Sack  Guide."  It  is  a  complete  Encyclope- 
dia of  the  State.— Sold  on  the  trains. 


42 


PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


The  principal  outfitting  store  at 
Sidney  is  owned  by  Mr.  Chas.  Moore, 
the  pioneer  ranchman  of  the  old  South 
Platte  route ;  but  'Charley'  talks  poor. 
Besides  his  big  stock  of  goods,  he  has 
only  about  5,000  head  of  cattle  and 
sheep,— and  by  the  way,  Sidney  is  not 
much  behind  in  the  number  of  pros^ 
perous  stock-men.  Scores  of  her  citi- 
zens own  from  500  to  5,000  head,  within 
range  of  the  late  "Cattle  King,"  Iliff,  to 
the  south,  on  which  graze  30,000  head. 

The  Government  has  established  a  mill, 
tary  post  at  this  station,  and  erected  exten- 
sive barracks  and  warehouses.  The  post 
is  on  the  south  side  of  the  track,  a  little  to 
the  east  of  the  station.  The  old  "PostTrader" 
at  this  place,  Mr.  James  A.  Moore,  recently 
deceased,  was  an  old  pioneer,  and  the  hero 
of  the  "Pony  Express."  June  8th,  1860, 
he  made  the  most  remarkable  ride  on 
record.  Mr.  Moore  was  at  Midway  stage 
station  on  the  south  side  of  the  Platte,  when 
a  very  important  Government  despatch  ar- 


rived for  the  Pacific  Coast.  Mounting  his 
pony,  he  left  for  Julesburg,  140  miles  dis- 
tant, where,  on  arriving,  he  met  an  impor- 
tant despatch  from  the  Pacific;  resting 
onli/  seven  minutes^  and,  without  eating^  re- 
turned to  Midway,  making  the  "round 
trip  " — 380  miles — in  fourteen  hours  and 
forty-six  minutes.  The  despatch  reached 
Sacramento  from  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  in  eight 
days,  nine  hours  and  forty  minutes 

From  Sidney  it  is  9  miles  to 

Broiviisoii — Passenger  trains  do  not 
stop.  The  station  was  named  after  Col. 
Brownson,  who  was  with  the  Union  Pacific 
from  the  first,  and  a  long  time  their  gen- 
eral ft-eight  agent.  The  valley  along  here 
is  very  narrow,  with  high  rocky  bluffs  on 
each  side.    It  is  9  9-10  miles  further  to 

Potter — Large  quantities  of  wood  and 
ties  are  usually  stored  here,  which  are  ob- 
tained  about  20  miles  north  of  this  point, 
on  Lawrence  Fork  and  Spring  Canyon, 
tributaries  of  the  North  Platte  River.  Pot. 
ter,  a  though  not  a  large  place,  is  situated 


FINGER    ROCK,  WEBER   CANYON,  UTAH. 


ceofutt's  new  overland  tourist 


43 


near  a  very  large  city,  called 

Prairie  Dog  City — one  of  the  If^rg- 
Cst  cities  on  the  whole  line  of  the  road. 
At  this  point,  and  for  several  miles  up 
and  down  the  valley,  the  dwellings  of  the 
prairie  dogs  frequently  occur,  but  three 
miles  west  of  the  station  they  are  found  in 
large  numbers,  and  there  the  great  prairie 
dog  city  is  situated.  It  occupies  several 
hundred  acres  on  each  side  of  the  road, 
where  these  sagacious  little  animals  have 
taken  land  and  established  their  dwellings 
without  buying  lots  of  the  company.  (We 
do  not  know  whether  Mr.  Land-Commis- 
sioner, intends  to  eject  them  or  not,)  Their 
dwellings  consist  of  a  little  mound,  with  a 
hole  in  the  top,  from  a  foot  to  a  foot  and  a 
half  high,  raised  by  the  dirt  excavated  from 
their  burrows.  On  the  approach  of  a 
train,  these  animals  can  be  seen  scamper- 
ing for  their  houses;  arrived  there,  they 
squat  on  their  hams  or  stand  on  their  hind 
feet,  barking  at  the  train  as  it  passes. 
Should  any  one  venture  too  near,  down  they 
go  into  their  holes,  and  the  city  is  silent  as 
the  city  of  the  dead. 

It  is  said  that  the  opening  in  the  top 
leads  to  a  subterranean  chamber,  connect- 
ing with  the  next  dwelling,  and  so  on 
through  the  settlement;  but  this  is  a  mis- 
take, as  in  most  cases  a  few  buckets  of 
water  will  drown  out  any  one  ot  them. 
The  animal  is  of  a  sandy-brown  Qolor,  and 
about  the  size  of  a  large  gray  squirrel.  In 
their  nest,  living  with  the  dog,  may  be  found 
the  owl  and  rattlesnake,  though  whether 
they  are  welcome  visitors  is  quite  uncertain. 
The  prairie  dog  lives  on  grasses  and  roi^ts, 
and  is  generally  fat ;  and  by  maniy,  espe- 
cially the  Mexicans,  considered  good  eating, 
the  meat  being  sweet  and  tender,  but  rather 
greasy,  unless  thoroughly  par- boiled. 
Wolves  prey  on  the  little  fellows,  and  they 
may  often  be  seen  sneaking  and  crawling 
near  a  town,  where  they  may  by  chance, 
pick  up  an  unwary  straggler.  But  the 
dogs  are  not  easily  caught,  for  some  one  is 
always  looking  out  for  danger,  and  on  the 
first  intimation  of  trouble,  the  alarm  is 
given,  and  away  they  all  scamper  fQyj,their 
holes.  *V' 

CouRT-HousE  Rock — About  40  miles 
due  north  from  this  station  is  the  noted 
Court-House  Rock,  on  the  North  Platte 
River.  It  is  plainly  visible  for  50  miles  up 
and  down  that  stream.  It  has  the  appear- 
ance of  a  tremendous  capitol  building, 
seated  on  the  apex  of  a  pyramid.  From 
the  base  of  the  spur  of  the  blufls  on  which 


the  white  Court-House  Rock  is  seated,  to- 
the  top  of  the  rock,  must  be  nearly  2,000' 
feet.  Court-House  Rock  to  its  top  is  about 
200  feet.  Old  California  emigrants  will  re- 
member the  place  and  the  many  names,, 
carved  by  ambitious  climbers,  in  the  soft 
sand-stone  of  which  it  is  composed. 

Chimney  Rock— is  about  25  miles  up- 
the  river  from  Court-House  Rock.  It  is- 
about  500  feet  high  and  has  the  appear- 
ance of  a  tremendous,  cone-shaped  sand- 
stone column,  rising  directly  from  the 
plain.  The  elements  have  worn  away  the- 
bluffs,  leaving  this  harder  portion  standing. 

The  next  station  is  nine  miles  distant,, 
called 

l>ix — formerly  Bennett — a  side- 
track for  the  accommodation  of 
stockmen  residing  near.  The  name 
of  the  station  is  in  honor  of  Gen.  Dix,. 
of  New  York.  Passenger  trains  sel- 
dom stop,  but  roll  on  9  2-10  miles 
further  where  they  do  stop,  at 

Antelope — It  is  situated  at  the  lower 
end  of  the  Pine  Bluffs,  which  at  this  point 
is  near  the  station,  on  the  left. 

This  station  is  in  the  center  of  what  the 
plains-men  call  "  the  best  grass  country  In 
the  world,"  as  well  as  one  of  the  best  points 
for  antelope  on  the  route.  For  article  on 
stock-raising,  see  Annex  No.  29. 

Six  miles  further  and  \v^  come  to 

Adams— an  unimportant  side-track^ 
from  which  it  is  5  9-10  miles  to 

JBashnell — This  is  another  unimpor- 
tant side-track,  near  the  boundary  line  be- 
tween Nebraska  and  Wyoming  Territoiy. 
Passenger  trains  do  not  stop,  but  pass  onj/ 
ten  miles  further  to  .  ^ 

Pine  BlnfPs— where  cattle-shipping^ 
is  the  principal  business  transacted  at  the 
station. 

During  the  building  of  the  road,  this, 
place  was  known  as  "  Rock  Ranche  " — and 
a  tough  ranche  it  was.  Considerable  pitch 
pine  wood  was  cut  for  the  railroad  in  the 
bluffs,  a  few  miles  to  the  southward,  from 
which  the  station  derives  its  name.  The 
bluffs  are  on  the  left  hand  side  of  the  road^ 
and  at  this  point  are  quite  high  and  rocky,, 
extending  very  near  the  track. 

Fort  Morgan — was  established  in  May^ 
1865,  abandoned  in  May.  1868,  and  its  gar- 
rison transferred  to  Laramie.  It  m 
about  60  miles  north  of  this  station,  on  the 
North  Platte  River,  at  the  western  base  of 
what  is  known  as  Scott's  Bluffs,  Latitude 
40  deg.  30  min. ;  longitude  27  de^. 

Our  course  from  this  station  is  more  to 


44 


PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


the  westward,  for  5  6- 
10  miles  to 

Tracy  —  a  small 
side-track,  where  pas- 
senger trains  seldom 
stop.  It  is  5  6-10  miles 
further  to 

£  g  b  e  r  t —  anoth- 
er unimportant  side- 
track. 

Near  this  point  we 
leave  Lodge  Pole 
Creek,  from  which 
to  the  source  of  the 
stream  in  the  Black 
Hills,  about  40  miles 
away,  the  valley  pre- 
sents the  same  general 
appearance  until  it 
reaches  the  base  of 
the  mountains.  Bears, 
deer  and  wolves 
abound  in  the  country 
around  the  source  of 
the  stream,  and  herds 
of  antelope  are  scatter 
cd  over  the  valley.  At 
one  time  beavers  were 
plenty  in  the  creek,  and 
a  few  of  these  interest 
ing  animals  are  still  to 
be  found  in  the  lower  waters  of  the  stream, 
near  to  its  junction  with  the  Platte.  This 
valley  was  once  a  favorite*  hunting-ground 
of  the  Sioux  and  Cheyennes,  who  long  re- 
sisted the  attempts  of  the  Government  to  re- 
move them  to  a  reservation  to  the  northward. 

Passing  on  up  a  dry  ravine  6  3-10  miles, 
we  come  to 

Barns — another  small  side-track — and 
nothing  else — which  is  5  7-10  miles  from 

Hillsdale— When  the  road  was  being 
constructed  from  this  place  to  Cheyenne,  a 
large  amount  of  freight  was  re-shipped 
from  here  on  wagons.  Then,  it  was  a  busy 
place,  now,  onlv  a  water-tank  and  side- 
track. The  station  was  named  after  a  Mr. 
Hill,  one  of  the  engineering  party  who  was 
killed  near  this  place  by  the  Indians  while 
lie  was  engaged  in  locating  the  present 
site  of  the  road. 

About  50  miles  to  the  south  is  "Fre- 
mont's Orchard,"  on  the  South  Platte 
Hiver,  about  60  miles  below  Denver  City, 
Colorado,  and  in  that  State.  It  was 
named  after  Col.  J^■remont,  who  discovered 
the  point  in  his  exploring  expedition.  It 
consists  of  a  large  grove  of  cottonwood 
trees,  mostly  on  the  south  side  of  the  river. 


MONUMENT    ROCK.  BLACK    HILLS,    U.P.R.R. 


The  river  here  makes  an  abrupt  bend  to 
the  north,  then  another  to  the  south,  cut- 
ting its  way  through  a  high  range  of  sand- 
hills—the third  range  from  the  Missouri 
River.  Where  the  river  forces  its  way 
through  the  bluffs,  they  are  very  high  and 
abrupt  on  the  south  side.  The  two  bends 
leave  a  long  promontory  of  sand  hills,  the 
end  of  which  is  washed  bv  the  waters.  At 
a  distance,  this  grove  of  cottonwoods  on 
the  bottom  land  reminds  one  of  an  old 
orchard,  such  as  is  often  seen  in  the  East- 
ern States. 

Near  Fremont's  Orchard  is  located  the 
Green  Colony,  at  Green  City,  which  num- 
bers about  100. 

Passing  on  from  Hillsdale  up  a  ravine, 
which  gradually  becomes  narrower  as  we 
ascend,  with  bluffs  on  either  hand,  6  2-10 
miles,  we  come  to 

Atkins— a  side-track.  Passing  on,  our 
train  gradually  rises  on  to  the  table-land, 
and  then,  if  the  day  be  a  fair  one,  ihe  trav- 
eler  can  catch  the  first  glimpse  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  directly  ahead.  On  the  right 
he  can  catch  glimpses  of  the  Black  Hills 
of  Wyoming,  stretching  their  cold,  dark 
ruggedness  far  away  to  the  right,  as  far  as 


CROFUTT  S    NEW    OVKKLAND    TOURIST 


45 


the  eye  can  see ;  but  the  bold,  black  line — 
the  dark  shadow  on  the  horizon,  which  will 
soon  take  tangible  shape  and  reality,  but 
which  now  seems  to  bar  our  way  as  with  a 

floomy  impenetrable  barrier,  is  the  "Great 
lOcky  Mountain  Chain,"  the  back-bone  of 
the  American  continent,  though  bearing 
different  names  in  the  Southern  hemi- 
sphere. The  highest  peak  which  can  be 
seen  rising  far  above  that  dark  line,  its  white 
sides  gleaming  above  the  general  darkness, 
is  Long's  Peak,  one  of  the  highest  peaks  of 
the  continent.  Awajr  to  the  left  rises 
Pike's  Peak,  its  towering  crest  robed  in 
snow.  It  is  one  of  those  mountains  which 
rank  among  the  loftiest.  It  is  one  of  Col- 
orado's noted  mountains,  and  on  a  fair  day 
is  plainly  visible  from  this  point,  175  miles 
distant. 
From  Atkins  it  is  5  4-10  miles  to 
Archer — situated  on  the  high  table- 
land, where  the  cars  seldom  stop — is  eleven 
miles  from  Hillsdale ;  and  a  little  farther 
on,  the  cars  pass  through  the  f,r%t  snow- 
shed  on  the  Union  Pacific  road,  emerging 
with  Crow  Creek  Valley  on  the  left. 

After  passing  through  a  series  of  cuts  and 
fills,  the  track  of  the  Denver  Pacific  rail- 
road can  be  seen  on  the  left  side,  where  it 
passes  over  the  bluffs  to  the  southeast. 
Directly  ahead  can  be  seen,  for  several 
miles,  the  far-famed  "  Magic  City  of  the 
Plains,"  8  4-10  miles  from  the  last  sta- 
tion— 

Cheyenne— which  is  the  capital  of 
Wyoming,  the  largest  town  between 
Omaha  and  Ogden.  Passenger  trains 
from  the  East  and  West  stop  here  30  min- 
utes,  for  dinner — and  no  better  meals  can 
be  had  on  the  road  than  at  the  Railroad 
House.  Distance  from  Omaha,  516  miles; 
from  Ogden  516  miles— just  AaZ/the  length 
of  the  Union  Pacific  road;  distance  to 
Denver,  Colorado,  106  miles. 

Cheyenne  is  the  county  seat  of  Laramie 
county.  Population  about  6,000.  Eleva- 
tion 6,041  feet.  It  is  situated  on  a  broad 
plain,  with  Crow  Creek,  a  small  stream, 
winding  around  two  sides  of  the  town. 
The  land  rises  slightly  to  the  westward.  To 
the  east  it  is  apparently  level,  though  our 
table  of  elevations  shows  to  the  contrary. 
The  soil  is  composed  of  a  gravelly  forma- 
tion, with  an  average  loam  deposit.  The 
sub-soil  shows  volcanic  matter,  mixed  with 
marine  fossils  in  large  quantities.  The 
streets  of  the  town  are  broad  and  laid  out 
at  right  angles  with  the  railroad. 
Schools  and  churches  are  as  numerous 


as  required,  and  society  is  more  orderly 
and  well  regulated  than  in  many  western 
places  of  ^  even  older  establishment.  The 
church  ed/fices  are  the  Presbyterian,  Con- 
gregational, Episcopal,  Methodist,  Catho- 
lic, and  several  of  other  denominations. 
The  city  boasts  of  a  $40,000  court-house, 
a  $70,000  hotel— the  Inter-Ocean— many 
new  blocks  of  buildings,  among  which 
are,  an  opera  house,  banks,  and  stores  of 
all  kinds,  besides  many  fine  private  res- 
idences, also  a  grand  lake  or  reservoir  f<^ 
supplying  the  city  with  pure  water,  con- 
ducted by  canal  fi-om  Crow  Creek,  from 
whence  smaller  branches  run  along  the 
sidewalks  for  the  irrigation  of  gardens, 
trees  and  shrubbery,  which  will  soon  make 
the  city  a  place  of  surpassing  beauty.  It 
also  boasts  of  a  race-course  and  some  good 
"steppers."  It  has  two  daily  news- 
papers, the  Leader  and  the  Sun,  both, 
of  which  issue  weeklies. 

Cheyenne  has  the  usual  small  manufac- 
tories, amoiig  which  the  item  of  saddles 
is  an  important  one,  as  the  saddle  of 
the  plains  and  most  Spanish  countries, 
is  a  different  article  altogether  from  the 
Eastern  "hogskin."  When  seated  in 
his  saddle,  the  rider  fears  neither  fatigue 
nor  injury  to  his  animal.  They  are  made 
for  use — to  save  the  animal's  strength,  as 
well  as  to  give  ease  and  security  of  seat  to 
the  rider.  The  best  now  in  use  is  made 
with  what  is  known  as  the  "California 
tree."  The  old  firm  of  E.  L.  Gallatin  & 
Co.,  make  these  saddles  a  specialty,  and  fill 
orders  from  all  over  the  western  portion  of 
the  United  States,  Mexico  and  South 
America. 

The  railroad  companv's  buildings  are  of 
stone,  brought  from  Granite  Canyon,  19 
miles  west.  They  consip*  of  a  round-house 
of  20  stalls,  and  machine  d  repair  shop, 
in  which  are  employed  50  men.  The 
freight  office  and  depot  buildings  are  of 
wood.  The  freight  office  was  opened  for 
business  during  the  first  part  of  November, 
1867,  at  which  time  the  road  was  completed 
to  this  station. 

No  land  is  cultivated  around  Cheyenne, 
except  a  few  small  gardens  around  Crow 
Creek.  The  soil  is  good,  and  the  hardiest 
kinds  of  vegetables  and  grains  could  be 
raised  successfully  with  irrigation.  Graz* 
ing  is  the  main  feature  of  the  country. 

The  Railroad  House,  before  which  all 
passenger  trains  stop,  is  one  of  the  finest  on 
the  road,  and  has  ample  accommodations 
for  60  guests.     The  dining-room,  which 


46 


PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


everybody  patronizes,  as  it  is  celebrated  for 
its  good  fare,  is  tastefully  ornamented  with 
the  heads  and  horns  of  the  buffalo,  deer, 
elk,  antelope,  mountain  sheep,  and  other 
game,  all  preserved  and  looking  as  natural 
as  life;  here,  too,  is  a  great  variety  of 
other  interesting  specimens. 

The  other  hotels  are  the  Inter-Ocean, 
Delmonico,  on  the  European  plan,  Dyer's, 
Simmon's,  and  Metropolitan. 

Early  Times — On  the  fourth  day  of 
July,  1867,  there  was  one  hovse  in  Cheyenne 
— ^no  more.  The  first  Mayor  of  Cheyenne 
was  H.  M.  Hook,  an  old  pioneer,  elected 
August  10,  1867,  who  was  afterwards 
drowned  in  Green  River,  while  prospecting 
for  new  silver  mines. 

In  the  spring  of  1869,  there  were  6,000 
inhabitants  in  the  place  and  about  the  vi- 
cinity ;  but  as  the  road  extended  westward, 
the  floating,  tide-serving  portion  followed 
the  road,  leaving  the  more  permanent  set- 
tlers, who  have  put  up  substantial  build- 
ings of  brick  and  stone,  which  mark  a 
thriving  and  steadily  growing  city. 

Cheyenne,  at  one  time,  had  her  share  of 
the  "  roughs  "  and  gambling  hells,  dance- 
houses,  and  wild  orgies ;  murders  by  night 
and  day  were  rather 
the  rule  instead  ot  tne 
exception.  This  lasted 
until  the  business  men 
and  quiet  citizens,  tired 
of  such  doings,  and 
suddenly  an  impromp- 
tu  vigilance  commit- 
tee appeared  on  the 
scene,  and'  several  of 
the  most  desperate 
characters  were  found 
swinging  from  the 
end  of  a  rope,  from 
some  convenient  eleva- 
tion. Others,  taking 
the  hint,  which  in- 
dicated they  would 
take  a  rope  unless  they 
mended  their  ways, 
quietly  left  the  city. 
At  present  Cheyenne 
is  orderly  and  well- 
governed. 

In  the  fall  of  1869, 
Cheyenne  suffered  se- 
verely by  a  large  con- 
flagration,  which  de- 
stroyed a  considerable 
portion  of  the  busi- 
ness part  of  the  town, 


involving  a  loss  of  half-a-million  dollars. 
The  inhabitants,  with  commendable  zeal, 
rebuilt,  in  many  instances,  with  more 
durable  material  than  before. 

GOVERNMENT  FORTS  AND  CAMPS. 

Fort  D.  A.  Russell — This  post  was  es- 
tablished July  31,  1837,  by  General  Auger, 
and  intended  to  accommodate  sixteen  com- 
panies. It  is  three  miles  from  Cheyenne, 
on  Crow  Qreek,  which  washes  two  sides 
of  the  enclosure.  Latitude  41  deg.  08  min. ; 
Ipngitude  10  deg  45  min.  It  is  connectecl  by 
side-track  with  the  Union  Pacific  railroad 
at  Cheyenne.  The  quarter-master's  depart- 
ment— 12  store-houses — is  located  between 
the  fort  and  the  town,  at  ''  Camp  Carling." 
Several  million  pounds  of  Government 
stores  are  gathered  here,  from  which  the 
forts  to  the  northwest  draw  their  supplies. 
The  reservation  on  which  the  fort  is  situ- 
ated was  declared  by  the  President,  June 
38th,  1869,  and  contains  4,512  acres. 

Fort  Laramie — This  fort  was  estab- 
lished August  12th,  1869,  by  Major  W.  F. 
Sanderson,  Mounted  Rifles.  The  place, 
once  a  trading  post  of  the  Northwestern 
Fur  Company,  was  purchased  by  the  Gov- 
ernment, through  Brice  Husband,  the  com- 


DOWN"   THE  WEBER   RIVER,  NEAR   MORGAN   CITY 


CEOFUTT  S    NEAV    OVERLAND    TOURIST 


47 


pany's  agent,  for  the  site  of  a  military  post. 
It  was  at  one  time  the  winter  quarters  of 
many  trappers  and  hmiters.  It  is  also 
noted  as  being  the  place  where  several 
treaties  have  been  made  between  the  sava- 
ges and  whites — many  of  the  former  living 
around  the  fort,  fed  by  Government, 
and  stealing  its  stock  in  return.  The  res- 
ervation, declared  by  the  President  on  the 
28th  of  June,  1869,  consists  of  54  square 
miles.  It  is  situated  89  miles  from  Chey- 
enne— the  nearest  railroad  station— on  the 
left  bank  of  the  Laramie,  about  two  miles 
from  its  junction  with  the  North  Platte, 
and  on  the  Overland  road  to  Oregon  and 
California.  Latitude  42  deg.  13  min.  38 
sec. ;  longitude  104  deg.  31  min.  26  sec. 

FortFettermajj — This  post  was  named 
in  honor  of  Brevet  Lieutenant.  Col.  Wm  J 
Fetterman,  Captain  18th  Infantry,  killed 
at  the  Fort  Phil.  Kearny  massacre,  Decem 
ber  21st,  1866,  established  July  19th,  1864, 
by  four  companies  of  the  Fourth  Infantry, 
under  command  of  Brevet  Colonel  William 
McE.  Dey,  Major  Fourth  Infantry  It  is 
situated  at  the  mouth  of  La  Poele  Creek, 
on  the  south  side  of  the  North  Platte  River, 
135  miles  from  Cheyenne,  90  miles  south  of 
Fort  Reno,  and  70  miles  northwesterly 
from  Fort  Laramie;  latitude  42  deg.  49 
min.  08  sec,  longitude  105  deg.  27  min.  03 
sec.  The  reservation  of  sixty  square  miles 
was  declared  June  28th,  1869.  Cheyenne 
is  the  nearest  railroad  station.  The  regu- 
lar conveyance  from  Cheyenne  to  the  Fort 
is  by  Government  mail  ambulance  and 
Black  Hills  stages. 

Fort  Casper— was  situated  on  the 
North  Platte  River,  at  what  was  known  as 
"  Old  Platte  Bridge,"  on  the  Overland  road 
to  California  and  Oregon,  55  miles  north  of 
Fort  Fetterman ;  was  built  during  the  late 
war;  re-built  bjr  the  18th  Infantrjr  in  1866, 
and  abandoned  in  1867.  Its  garrison,  mu- 
nitions of  war,  etc.,  were  transferred  to 
Fort  Fetterman.  The  bridge  across  the 
Platte  at  this  place  cost  $65,000 — a  wooden 
structure,  which  was  destroyed  by  the  In- 
f'ians  shortly  after  the  abandonment  of  the 
post. 

Fort  Reno — ^was  established  during  the 
war  by  General  E.  P.  Connor,  for  the  pro- 
tection of  the  Powder  River  country  It 
was  situated  on  the  Powder  River,  225 
miles  from  Cheyenne,  90  miles  from  Fort 
Fetterman,  and  65  miles  from  Fort  Phil 
Kearny.  It  was  re-built  in  1866  by  the 
18th  infantry,  and  abandoned. in  July, 
1868. 


Fort  Phil.  Kearny — was  established 
July,  1866,  by  four  companies  of  the  18th 
Infantry,  under  command  of  Colonel  H. 
B.  Carrington,  18th  Infantry.  This  post 
was  situated  290  miles  north  of  Chey- 
enne, in  the  very  heart  of  the  hunt- 
ing grounds  of  the  northern  Indians,  and 
hence  the  trouble  the  troops  had  with 
the  Indians  in  establishing  it.  Near  this 
post  is  where  the  great  massacre  took 
place  in  1866.  It  was  abandoned  in  July, 
1868. 

Fort  C.  F  Smith — was  established  in 
1866,  by  Brevet  Lieutenani^Colonel  N.  C 
Kinney,  Captain  18th  Infantry,  and  two 
companies  of  that  regiment.  It  was  at  the 
foot  of  the  Big  Horn  Mountain,  on  the  Big 
Horn  River,  90  miles  from  Foii;  Phil. 
Kearny,  and  380  from  Cheyenne.  It  was 
abandoned  in  July,  1868 

Here  the  thoughtful  will  note,  that  the 
Government  established  four  forts  in  this 
northern  Powder  River  country,  for  the 
protection  of  the  white  man  as  against  the 
Indian  To  the  occupancy  of  the  country 
the  Indians  protested,  and  the  Government 
acceeded,  and  made  a  treaty  yielding  up 
possession  of  the  whole  country  north  of 
the  North  Platte  River— the  Black  Hills 
included — and  abandoned  the  posts  and  the 
country  to  the  Indians.  When  gold  was 
discovered  in  this — acknowledged — Indian 
country,  and  the  white  man  commenced  to 
invade  it — in  search  of  gold — the  Govern- 
ment attempted  to  prevent  their  trespassing, 
and  to  keep  faith  with  the  Indians  and 
Gen.  Sheridan  issued  his  orders  against 
this  invasion,  and  sent  soldiers  to  arrest 
all  parties  in  the  "Hills,"  and  prevent 
others  from  going  to  them.  Finally,  the 
Government  "  winked "  at  emigration 
which  it  could  not,  or  would  not  prevent. 
What  see  we  now?  The  white  man  has 
taken  the  Indian's  country,  that  our  Gov- 
ernment  has  acknowledgea  belonged  to  the 
latter,  has  dri'oen  the  Indians  out,  beggars 
as  they  are,  with  only  the  bread  that  the 
Government  chooses  to  toss  to  them.  We 
are  no  ''  Indian  lover,"  but,  if  the  Govern- 
ment  had  a  right  to  build  these  posts,  they 
should  never  have  abandoned  tliem ;  having 
abandoned  them,  and  treated  with  the 
Indian,  as  an  equal,  where  is  our  boasted 
"  civilization,"  when,  though  the  lands  do 
contain  gold,  we  take  them  without  a 
"  thank  you,"  as  the  elephant  would  crush 
a  toad.    Does  might  make  right  ? 


Plains  teamsters  call  a  meal  a  "grub-pile" 


48 


•crofutt's  new  overland  tourist. 


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PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE, 


49 


Union  Pacific  Railway, 

KANSAS    PACIFIC    DIVISION. 

D.  E.  Cornell, General  Agent,  Kansas  City. 


Passengers  at  Kansas  City  for  the 
"Overland  Eoute,"  via  Colorado,  Utah 
and  Nevada,  will  step  into  the  Palace 
Cars  and  superb  coaches  of  the  Kansas 
Pacific  Division  of  the  U.  P.  Ey. ;  pass 
through  Denver  and  connect  at  Chey- 
enne, Wyo.,  with  the  "  Overland  "train 
from  Omaha.    See  "  Time  Table." 

To  write  the  history  and  record  the 
prosperity  of  the  Kansas  Pacific  and 
the  country  tributary,  in  the  brief 
space  allotted  for  that  purpose  in  the 
'*  Overland,"  it  will  be  impossible  to 
more  than  register  a  "telegram"  of 
the  most  important  matters,  those  of 
the  greatest  interest  to  the  tourist  or 
emigrant. 

The  Kansas  Pacific  Railway  Compa- 
ny, formerly  the  "Leavenworth,  Paw- 
nee and  "Western,"  was  incorporated  by 
Act  of  Congress  July  1,  1862,  to  con- 
struct a  railroad  and  telegraph  line 
from  the  Missouri  River,  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Kansas,  to  connect  with  the 
Pacific  Railroad  of  Missouri,  to  the 
100th  meridian  of  longitude,  upon  the 
game  terms  and  conditions  as  provided 
for  the  construction  of  the  Pacific 
Railroad  across  the  continent,  and  to 
meet  and  connect  at  the  meridian 
above  named. 

The  route  proposed  was  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Kansas  River  to  the 
junction  of  the  Republican  Fork,  at 
Fort  Riley;  thence  up  the  Republican, 
over  the  •*  divide"  and  Platte  River  and 
connect  with  the  Union  Pacific  near 
Kearny  Station. 

Work  commenced  on  the  **  K  P."  at 
Wyandotte,  Kansas,  September  1, 1863. 

By  Act  of  Congress  of  July  2,  1864, 
the  company  acquired  additional 
rights;  and  again,  oy  amendment  of 
the  original  Act,  approved  July  3, 1866, 
was  authorized  to  change  their  route 
and  build  westward — on  the  39th  par- 
allel—from Fort  Riley  up  the  Smoky 
Hill  River  to  Denver,  m  Colorado; 
thence  to  a  junction  with  the  Union 
Pacirtc  at  or  near  Cheyenne,  Wyoming. 


The  road  was  completed  to  Denver" 
in  1870,  and  In  1872,  by  the  purchase  of 
a  controlling  interest  in  the  Denver 
Pacific,  reached  Cheyenne ;  and  again,  by 
a  sale  in  1879,  passed  to  the  management 
of  Union  Pacific  parties,  where  it  still 
remains.  Distance  from  Kansas  City 
to  Denver,  639  miles;  from  Denver  to 
Cheyenne,  106  miles.  The  branch  lines, 
six  in  number,  make  a  mileage,  re- 
spectively :  32  miles,  46  miles,  57  miles, 
70  miles,  21  miles  and  23  miles;  total, 
branches,  249  miles ;  total,  whole  line, 
994  miles. 

Kansas  City  is  the  eastern  termi- 
nus of  the  main  line  of  the  Kansas 
Pacific  Railway.  Prior  to  1839  the 
place  was  known  as  "  Westport  Land- 
ing," but  in  that  year  was  changed  to 
Kansas  City,  with  a  population— most- 
ly traders,  hunters  and  trappers— of 
300.  Now  it  claims  61,000.  The  city  is 
built  on  a  high  bluff  on  the  south  bank 
of  the  great  bend  of  the  Missouri 
River,  just  below  the  mouth  of  the 
"  Kaw  " — or  Kansas  River.  Its  central 
location  has,  from  the  first,  enabled  it 
to  control  a  large  trade  with  the  coun- 
try to  the  west  and  southward,  which, 
since   the   advent    of    railroads,   has 

Sown  to  an  enormous  business.  The 
issouri  Pacific  was  the  first  railroad 
completed  to  Kansas  City  from  the 
eastward,  where  it  arrived  October  1, 
1865,  since  which  time  nine  have  ar- 
rived to  bid  for  and  share  the  business 
which  often  taxes  their  entire  combined 
capacity.  As  a  live  stock  center—cat- 
tle, sheep  and  hogs — and  for  slaughter- 
ing, packing  or  shipping,  Kansas  City 
has  no  equal  in  the  western  country. 
The  stock  yards,  beef  and  pork  packing 
establishments  are  immense— xre  situa- 
ted on  the  bottom  lands  in  the  western 
part  of  the  city,  south  of  the  Union 
Depot,  and  are  well  worthy  a  yisit  by 
the  traveller. 

The  ^r*t  bridge  over  the  Missouri 
was  commenced  at  Kansas  City,  and  its 
completion  celebrated  July  4, 1869. 


so 


ORdnjTT*S  NEW  OVERLAND  TOURIST 


Kansas  City  possesses  all  the  modem 
improvements— horse  railroads,  gas, 
water  works,  etc. ;  churches  and  schools 
in  great  numbers,  opera  liouse,  theatre, 
daily  papers,  and  of  hotels,  a  few  dozen, 
chief  of  which  are  the  Coates,  St  James 
and  Pacific 

Wyandotte,  Kansas,  is  about  two 
miles  west,  across  the  Kansas  River, 
and  might  well  be  called  a  suburb  of 
Kansas  City— it  is  connected  by  horse 
<5ars— has  a  population  of  about  6,000, 
many  of  whom  do  business  in  Kansas 
€ity  and  reside  in  Wyandotte,  The 
town  is  on  a  portion  of  the  lands  once 
owned  by  the  Delaware  Indians,  who 
sold  them  in  1842  to  the  AVyandotte  In- 
dians, the  remnants  of  a  tribe  from  the 
State  of  Ohio.  The  lands  are  in  a  high 
state  of  cultivation,  and  large  orchards 
of  fruit  are  numerous. 

The  Kansas  State  Institution  for  the 
Blind  is  located  at  Wyandotte. 

Leaving  the  Union  Depot — which  is 
used  by  all  the  railroads  in  common 
that  enter  Kansas  Citj'— we  soon  cross 
the  Kansas  River  and  the  State  Line, 
pass  Armstrong  at  the  end  of  one 
mile — where  are  located  the  machine 
shops  of  the  Kansas  Pacific— and  fol- 
lowing along  on  the  west  bank  of  the 
river  one-half  mile  further  to  Muncy 
Siding.  The  river  in  places  is  close  on 
the  left;  the  bottoms  are  wide  and 
oovered  with  trees,  with  here  and 
there  a  clearing.  On  the  right  the  view 
is  obstructed  by  high  bluffs  covered 
with  brush  or  small  trees.  Continuing 
on  4.4  miles  we  come  to  Edwards- 
ville;  8.6  miles  more  to  Tiblow, 
and  8.2  miles  to  Loring,  from  which 
it  is  three  miles  to  Lenape,  and  4.4 
miles  more  to  Linwood,  where  Strang- 
er Creek  is  crossed. 

The  timber  on  the  Kansas  River  bot- 
toms consists  of  red  and  burr  oak, 
hackberry,  ash,  hickory,  cottonwood 
and  sycamore.  The  acreage  under  cul- 
tivation is  increasing,  and  after  a  run 
of  five  miles  from  Linwood  we  pass 
Fall  Leaf,  an  unimportant  station,  be- 
yond which  the  country  fairly  "spreads 
out,"  and  we  get  a  first  view  of  the 
^eat  rolling  prairies  of  Kansas. 

Leavenworth  Junction  is  the 
next  station;  distance  4.5  miles  from 
Fall  Leaf,  36  miles  from  Kansas  City 


and  32  miles  from  Leaven  worth.    Let 
us  take  a  run  over  tne 
liCaTen  worth    Branck. — This 

road  runs  through  a  section  of  country 
the  greater  portion  of  which  is  under 
cultivation.  The  stations  are  Reno, 
five  miles;  Tonganoxie,  two  miles; 
Moore's  Summit,  two  miles;  Big 
Stranger,  three  miles;  Hoge,  four 
miles,  and  five  more  to  Fairmont,  the 
most  important  station  on  the  line.  It 
is  situated  on  a  portion  of  the  Dela- 
ware Indian  Reservation,  first  pur- 
chased from  the  Indians  by  the  Kansas 
Pacific  Railway  Company,  and  by  them 
re-sold  to  a  class  of  farmers  and  stock 
raisers  who  have  become  prosperous. 

After  leaving  Fairmont  several 
small  stations  are  passed— the  first. 
Penitentiary,  where  the  State  insti- 
tution of  that  name  is  located — and  a 
run  of  ten  miles  brings  us  to 

lieavenwftrth,  situated  on  the 
west  bank  of  the  Missouri  River,  and 
contains  a  i»opulation  of  18,000.  It 
was  settled  in  1854,  and  is  surrounded 
by  a  section  of  country  of  unsurpass- 
ing  fertility.  Leavenworth  has  all  the 
metropolitan  features  of  a  big  city- 
horse  railroads,  gas,  water  works,  a  big 
railroad  bridge  over  the  Missouri, 
twenty-six  churches,  exclusive  of  a 
Catholic  cathedral  that  cost  $130,000, 
nine  banks,  six  daily  papers  and  a  score 
or  more  of  hotels,  besides  quite  a  num- 
ber of  manufactories. 

Fort  Leavenworth  is  two  miles  north 
of  the  city— established  in  1827— and 
is  now  the  headquarters*  Department 
of  the  Missouri. 

Returning  to  the  Junction,  about  one 
mile  and  we  are  at 

Bismark  Grove— On  the  right  of 
the  road.  It  contains  about  40  acres 
heavily  timbered  with  oaks  and  elms, 
in  the  center  of  which  is  a  beautiful 
lake.  This  grove  has  become  widely 
known  of  late  as  the  place  where  the 
first  National  Temperance  Camp 
Meeting  was  held. 

From  the  Grove  it  is  one  mile  to 

Liawrence.— So  named  for  the  mil- 
lionaire Lawrences,  of  Boston,  Mass. 
The  city  proper  is  opposite  the  depot, 
on  the  south  side  of  the  Kansas  River, 
about  one  mile  distant,  reached  by 
several  fine  bridges.    It  is  situated  in 


:>-     ~     ^"     --^ 


«s^' 


PORT  POINT,   GOLD] 


"^mm^: 


'^-^i^ 


ATE,    CALIFORNIA. 


PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


51 


the  midst  of  the  richest  and  most  fer- 
tile section  of  Kansas,  as  well  as  be- 
ing the  most  beautiful  city  in  the  State. 
Here,  too,  are  street  railroads,  gas, 
water  works,  and,  in  fact,  all  the  im- 
provements and  conyeniences  found  in 
the  large  cities  east.  Population, 
about  15,000.  Settled  in  1854.  Raided 
by  Quantrell's  band,  August  21, 1803, 
who  burned  the  town  and  murdered 
upwards  of  100  unarmed  citizens. 

In  the  southern  portion  of  the  city  is 
located  the  State  University,  on  the 
summit  of  Mount  Oread ;  from  which 
point  you  look  upon  a  very  beautiful 
landscape,  dotted,  in  all  directions, 
with  hundreds  of  farm  houses. 

The  Oarbondale  Branch  of  the  "K. 
P.**  leads  off  from  this  place— 32  miles 
to  Carbondale.  The  stations  and  distan- 
ces between,  are :  Siegel,  7.5  miles ;  Bel- 
voir,  5  miles ;  Richland,  6.3  miles ;  Kin- 
ney's 8.2  miles ;  Summit,4  miles ;  Carbon- 
dale,  1  mile. 

Th '  Leavenworth,  Lawrence  and 
Galveston  Railroad,  coming  in  from 
the  South,  is  another  element  of  prot- 
perity  for  the  city. 

From  Lawrence  it  is  0.4  miles  to 
Buck  Creek,  a  small  station,  then 
three  more  to  Williamston,  and  3.2 
miles  to  Perryville.  These  are  all 
small  stations,  surrounded  by  a  thrifty 
farming  community,  and  are  growing 
in  importance.  About  one  mile  be- 
yond Perryville,  we  cross  Grasshopper 
Kiver,  upon  which  are  located  several 
flouring  mills,  and  small  manufactor- 
ies. Tlie  river  is  well  timbered, — oak, 
hickory,  elm,  ash,  cotton  wood  and  soft 
maple,  principally. 

The  Grasshopper  unites  with  the 
Kansas  River,  opposite  the  old  town  of 
Lecompton,  of  "Lecompton  constitu- 
tion'* notoriety.  The  soil  is  "a  black 
loam,  and  very  productive.  The  lands 
were  once  a  portion  of  the  Del-aware 
Indian  Reservation.  From  Perryville 
it  is  3.2  miles  to 

Medina.— The  town  was  laid  out 
in  1860,  and  with  the  near  surroundings, 
has  a  population  of  about  1,500,  mostly 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits. 

Two  miles   north   of  the  station  is 

located  the  old   "Indian  Mill  Farm," 

which  has  been   under  cultivation  for 

oyer  85  years.     From  Medina  it  is  2.5 

4 


miles  to  Newman  from  which  it  is  5.2 
miles  to  Grantsville,  a  small  station 
of  the  west  bank  of  Muddy  Creek. 
This  section  is  noted,  if  at  all,  for  its 
"Osage  Orange"  hedges,  some  of  which 
are  very  fine.  Six  miles  further,  and 
our  road  crosses  the  track  of  tht 
Atchison,  Topeka  and  Santa  Fe  Bail- 
road,  which  is  completed  from  Atchi- 
son and  Kansas  City  to  Deming, 
in  New  Mexico,  with  the  Pacific  Coast 
for  an  objection  point.  The  crossing 
is  only  a  few  hundred  yards  from  the 
depot  at 

Topeka— The  capital  of  the  State. 
Population,  15,433.  Here  passenger 
trains  stop  20  minutes  for  meals. 

Topeka  is  in  Shawnee  County,  situat- 
ed on  the  north  bank  of  the  Kansas 
River,  and  surrounded  by  a  very  rich 
and  fertile  country;  was  located  in 
1854.  The  river  is  crossed  at  Topeka 
on  one  of  the  "King  Iron  Tubular 
Bridges,"  a  solid  structure  900  feet  in 
length,  composed  of  six  spans,  resting 
on  stone  piers,  built  from  the  "bed 
rock"  in  the  river. 

The  Capitol  is  a  fine  building,  built 
of  what  is  called  in  this  country  "Junc- 
tion City  MarblQ,"  a  white  magnesian 
limestone,  found  in  many  places  in  the 
State.  It  can  be  quarried  in  blocks 
from  -  to  10  tons  in  weight,  and  when 
fresh  from  the  quarry  is  very  easy  to 
saw.  The  Government  buildings  at 
Fort  Riley  are  built  of  this  kind  of  stone, 
and  has  proved  satisfactory.  The  Capi- 
tol cost  $400,000. 

While  we  are  here  at  the  Seat  of 
Government,  we  will  note  a  few  items 
in  regard  to  the  State.  Kansas  has  an 
area  of  52,053,520  adres,  of  which  40,- 
000,000  is  unimproved,  awaiting  the 
reader.  Pritje  from  $1.25  to  $20  per 
acre.  Present  population  of  the  State 
995,335.  It  has  a  school  fund  of  $1,555,- 
360,  which  is  augmenting  yearly.  There 
are  4,520  school  houses,  6,359  teachers, 
and  266,576  scholars.  Then  there  are 
three  Normal  Schools,  for  educating 
teachers ;  the  University  at  Lawrence, 
and  the  Agricultural  College  at  Man- 
hattan. On  the  line  of  the  Kansas 
Pacific,  there  are  76  grain  elevators, 
with  storage  capacity  of  2,515,100  bush- 
els ;  and  52  flouring  mills,  with  169  run 
of  stone;  capacity, 4,310  barrels  per  day. 


52 


OROFUTT  8  NEW  OVERLAND  TOURIST 


Leaving  Topeka,  Me-no-ken,  a 
small  station,  is  reached  in  4.7  miles ; 
Silver  Lake  in  5.9 ;  Kinosville  in 
2.7;  RossviLLE  in  2.8,  and  7.6  miles 
more  to 

St.  Mary's— an  important  station, 
in  some  respects.  The  country  for  the 
last  25  miles,  and  surrounding  the 
town,  is  thickly  settled,  and  the  greater 
portion  cultivated.  Com  is  the  prin- 
cipal crop,  though  much  wheat  and 
vegetables  are  raised. 

The  Jesuit  Fathers  visited  this 
country  nearly  40  years  ago,  and  estab- 
'lished  Mission  Schools  among  the  In- 
dians. More  recently  they  have  erect- 
ed here  lar^e  educational  institutions ; 
one  fot  ladies,  is  known  as  "The  Sem- 
inary of  the  Sacred  Heart**  The  build- 
ing to  the  north  of  the  railroad,  is  of 
brick,  with  stone  trimmings,  100  feet 
front  and  four  stories  in  height,  com- 
pleted in  1871.  The  College  for  males 
IS  adjoining,  and  can  accommodate 
1,300  students. 

From  St.  Mary's  it  is  C.2  miles  to 
Belvue,  a  small  station  6.9  miles  from 
the  end  of  the  Kaw  Division,  First 
District,  which  is  at 

Wamego,— This  is  a  large  and 
thriving  town  situated  in  the  midst  of 
a  country  well  watered  by  numerous 
small  creeks,  very  fertile  and  thickly 
settled.  The  next  station,  6.6  miles,  is 
St.  George,  another  growing  town  of 
about  700  population,  from  which  it  is 
W  miles  to 

Manhattan.— Population,  about 
2,000 ;  County  Seat  of  Riley  County,  117 
miles  west  of  Kansas  City.  The  town 
is  situated  near  the  junction  of  the 
Kansas  and  Blue 'rivers,  was  settled  in 
1854  by  a  colony  of  Ohio  "Pilgrims,*' 
who  purchased  a  small  steamboat  at 
Cincinnati,  steamed  down  the  Ohio 
river,  and  thence  up  the  Mississippi, 
Missouri,  and  Kansas  rivers  to  tliis 
place,  where  they  settled,  in  what  was 
then  a  wild  Indian  country,  living  on 
their  boat  until  buildings  could  be 
•rected, 

Tlie  Kansas  State  Agricultural  Col- 
lege— an  experimental  farm — is  located 
at  Manhattan.  Congress,  in  its  benev- 
olent wisdom,  endowed  this  C-llege 
with  a  land  grant  of  81,000  acres,  50,000 
of  which  has  been  sold,  realizing  the 


snug  sum  of  $238,000.  The  institution 
has  400  acres  fenced  and  cultivate  the 
greater  portion  with  vineyards  and 
orchards  of  fruit  of  every  variety 
Leaving  Manhattan  a  few  miles,  the 
bluffs  come  close  on  the  right,  in  places 
500  feet  in  height,  covered  with  trees, 
rocks  and  grass  alternating,  while  the 
river  comes  in  close  to  the  road, 
on  the  left,  and  again  receding  for 
miles,  along  the  banks  of  which  ash, 
oak,  hickory,  cotton  wood  and  elm  trees 
grow  in  profusion.  Here,  too,  can  be 
seen  some  fine  farms,  surrounded  by 
beautiful  osage  orange  hedge  From 
Manhattan  it  is  11.1  miles  to 

Offden— A  town  of  some  historic 
interest  in  the  annals  of  the  State,  as 
being  the  place  where  the  first  Terri- 
torial Legislature,  convened  by  Gov. 
Reeder,  met  to  "Save  the  Country** 
The  place  was  first  settled  in  1856.  Six 
miles  further  is  the  station  of 

Fort  Riley— So  called  for  the  Fort 
of  that  name,  situated  upon  the  high 
plateau  to  the  right ;  established  in  1852, 
is  in  latitude  39°  nort ',  96°30^  west. 
The  post  was  first  known  as  "  Camp 
Center,"  being  situated  in  the  geogra- 
phical center  of  the  United  States. 

J  unction  City,— County  Seat  of 
Davis  County,  is  2.7  miles  west  of  Fort 
Riley,  and  is  destined  to  be  a  place  of 
much  importance.  It  was  located  in 
1850,  has  grown  rapidly  and  now  con- 
tains 5,000  population.  Here  is  located 
the  marble  quarries  before  alluded  to; 
here,  too,  is  the  northern  terminus  of 
the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  Railroad, 
and  the  Junction  City  &  Fort  Kearny 
Railway,  The  Republican  River  unites 
with  the  Kansas  River  at  this  point, 
up  which  is  completed  the  J.,  C.  &  F. 
K.  Railway,  a  ^ranch  of  th '  Kansas 
Pacific  to  Concordia,  70  miles  north- 
west. The  stations  and  distances 
between  are:  Alder,  7.7 miles;  Milford, 
5.4  miles ;  Wakefield,  6  miles ;  Clay  Cen- 
ter, 14  miles;  Morgan ville,  7.6  miles; 
Clifton,  8.7  miles ;  C,  B.,  U.  P.  Crossing, 
4.9  miles;  Clyde, 0.8  miles;  Lawrence- 
burg,  7.6  miles ;  Concordia,  7.4  miles. 

The  valley  of  the  Republican  is  one 
of  the  richest  and  most  productive  in 
the  State.  It  was  the  Indian's  home,  to 
retain  which  he  fought  the  white  man 
long  and  bitterly,  and  with  the  usual 


PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


53 


result,  the  Indian  had  to  go  I  He  went  I 
Where  once  roamed  his  "  pony  herd  " 
in  tliousands,  now  can  be  couiite  i  the 
duellings  of  his  successors  in  equal 
numbers;  where  once  the  Indian's  beef 
(buffalo)  ranged  in  untold  millions  now 
range  the  white  man's  beef.  The  buf- 
falo has  gone— went  with  the  Indians. 
Will  the  time  ever  come  when  the  "suc- 
cessors" will  be  succeeded  by  a  stronger 
and  more  enlightened  race?  Will  they 
in  turn  ever  be  driven  out  and  exter- 
minated?— Quien  saheW 

At  Junction  City  the  Smoky  Hill 
river  comes  in  from  tiie  southward, 
which,  with  the  Rei)ublican,  forms  the 
Kansas  river.  The  Smoky  will  be  on 
our  left  for  the  next  47  miles,  to  Salina. 

After  leaving  Junction  City,  a  pecu- 
liar rock  formation  is  noticeable  on  the 
right  along  the  summit  of  the  bluffs 
resembling  a  long  line  of  fortifications. 

Another  item,  we  record  for  the  ben- 
efit of  the  sportsman ;  feathered  game 
in  great  abundance  are  found  on  the 
prairies,  and  along  the  rivers  and  small 
streams  in  Kansas,  such  as  prairie 
chicken,  quail,  ducks,  geese,  snipe, 
plover,  swans,  cranes,  pelican,  an 
many  other  varieties. 

Then  a  run  of  6.8  miles  to  Chapman, 
6.2  miles  to  Detroit,  and  5.2  miles  more 
and  we  reach 

Abilene — county  seat  of  Dicken- 
son county.  Population  about  2,000. 
Passenger  train*  stop  30  minutes — oppo- 
site the  Henry  House— for  meals,  which 
arc  ihe  best  on  the  road. 

This  station  was  the  first  great  cattle 
shipping  point  on  the  Kansas  Pacific 
Railway.  From  1867  to  1870,  the  number 
loaded  on  the  cars  and  sent  east,  wer** 
from  75,000  to  150,000  a  year,  but  as  the 
agriculturalist  crowded  in,  the  cattle- 
men were  crowded  out,  and  we  will 
find  them  no7^>— far  to  tlie  westward. 

We  are  now  in  what  is  called  the 
"Golden  Belt"— so  named  for  the  won- 
derful adaptability  of  the  country  for 
raising  wheat  and  other  small  grains. 
These  "belt"  lands,  it  is  claimed,  com- 
mence near  Junction  City,  and  ex- 
tends beyond  Ellis— about  200  miles  in 
length.  Wheat  is  the  principal  crop, 
and  comprises  one  half  of  all  the  pro- 
ductions. There  are  several  fields  of 
wheat,  near  Abilene,  of  1,000  acres  each, 


one  of  3,000,  and  one  of  8,500.  Of  laU 
years,  tree-planting  has  been  quite  an 
industry.  Orchards  of  fruit  are  num- 
erous, and  successfully  raised. 

From  Abilene  it  is  4.4  miles  to  Sand 
Springs,  a  Signal  Station,  thence  4.6 
miles  to 

Solomon— situated  near  the  junc- 
tion of  the  Smoky  Hill  and  Solomoa 
Rivers,  in  the  midst  of  a  thrifiy  agri- 
cultural section.    Population  about  500. 

The  Solomon  Railroad,  another 
branch  of  the  "K.  P.,"  is  built  up  th© 
valley  of  the  Solomon  to  13eloit,58  mile? 
northwest  from  this  station.  Seversd 
Salt  Si)ring3  are  near  the  town,  and  the 
buildings  erected  for  the  purpose  of 
manufacturing  the  salt  are  quite  ex- 
tensive, and  can  be  seen  from  the  can 
after  leaving  the  station. 

Leaving  Solomon,  we  cross  the  river 
of  that  name,  and  7.8  miles  arrive  at 
New  Cambria,  a  small  station  situated 
on  a  broad  plain,  dotted,  in  all  direc- 
tions with  the  neat  little  cottages  of 
the  settlers,  who  are  principally  engag- 
ed raising  wheat  and  corn.  Six  milei 
further  we  reach 

Salina— the  County  Seat  of  Salina 
County,  settled  in  1858.  Just  before- 
reaching  the  station  we  cross  the  Sali- 
na River,  which  comes  down  from  the 
north-west. 

Salina  has  a  population  of  about. 
3,000,  some  large  grain  elevators,  several 
good  hotels,  papers  and  another  rail  road, 
the  Salina  &  Southwestern.  This 
branch  comes  to  McPhers6n,distant36 
miles  to  the  southwest.  Situated  on 
the  Smoky  Hill  River,  near  the  Swed- 
ish colony  who  settled  here  in  1870. 

The  principal  occupation  of  the  peo- 
ple is  agriculture,  although  there  are 
many  herds  of  cattle  and  sheep  in  the 
county,  and  some  extensive  quarries  of 
Gypsum,  or  Plaster  of  Paris,  also  sev- 
eral Salt  Springs  that  are  being  utelized 
for  the  production  of  salt. 

Along  all  the  rivers  and  streams 
about  this  section  of  country  are  belts 
of  timber,  consisting  of  cotton  wood, 
oak,  mulberry,  elm  and  hackberry. 

Bavaria — is  the  next  station  8.4 
miles  from  Salina,  where  is  located  a 
colony  from  the  Western  Reserve  of 
Ohio,  who  settled  here  in  1869.  This 
colony  has  been  very  successful,  wheat 


54 


orofutt's  new  overland  tourist 


and  com  crops  being  their  reliance.  A 
run  of  6.6  miles  brings  us  to  the  end  of 
the  second  district  of  the  Kaw  Valley 
Division  of  the  road,  at 

Brookville.— Here  the  Railroad 
Company  have  the  usual  division  re- 
pair shops,  good  depot  buildings,  and 
extensive  cattle  pens.  Population, 
about  500.  The  country  surrounding 
the  station  is  a  rolling  prairie,  on  which 
can  be  seen,  besides  the  usual  wheat 
and  com  fields,  an  occasional  herd  of 
cattle  and  sheep.  Leaving  Brookville, 
we  pass  several  small  stations  in  the 
order,  and  distances  between  as  fol- 
lows :  4.2  miles  to  Rock  Springs  ;  1.8 
miles  to  Terra  .  Cotta  ;  4.4  miles  to 
Elm  Creek;  6.1  miles  to  Summit  Sid- 
ing ;  2.5  miles  to  Fort  Hariosr,  and 
old  Government  post,  on  the  left,  built 
in  1867-8,  abandoned ;  and  4.7  miles  to 

Ellsworth— County  Seat  of  Ells- 
worth County,  situated  on  the  north 
bend  of  the  Smoky  Hill  River.  Set- 
tled in  1867 ;  present  population  1,100. 
Tlie  town  has  some  good  stone  build- 
ings, a  large  grain  elevator,  several 
hotels,  cattle  pens  and  shutes — ^the 
latter  not  of  much  use  of  late,  as  the 
farmers  are  crowding  the  cattle-men  a 
little  further  west. 

The  next  station  is  Blaok  Wolf,  7.2 
miles;  then  Cow  Creek,  2.8  miles. 

VFilson's— is  6.5  miles  from  Cow 
Creek.  This  is  a  thrifty  town  of  400 
iwpulation,  situated  in  a  rolling  prairie 
country,  fast  filling  up  with  settlers. 
Prom  Wilson's  it  is  6.4  miles  to  Dar- 
iiANOE,  and  7.8  miles  to  Bunker  Hill, 
the  County  Seat  of  Russell  County, 
population,  400 ;  first  settled  in  1871,  by 
a  colony  from  Ohio.  Near  the  station 
8alt  Springs  abound,  lime  stone  i^ 
plentiful,  some  coal,  and  abundance  of 
mineral  paint,  and  pottery  clay.  Pass- 
ing on  we  pass  through  Homer  in  6.8 
mixes,  and  4.6  miles  more  to 

Rapsell  —  population  about  800,^ 
settled  in  1881,  by  a  colony  from  Bipon, 
Wisconsin,  and  is  situated  about  four 
miles  south  of  the  south  bend  of  the 
Saline  River,  and  surrounded  by  rich, 
agricultural  lands»  well  cultivated. 
Leaving  Russell  it  is  ».l  miles  to  Gor- 
ham;  three  more  to  Walker;  and  3.9 
miles  further  to 

Vietoria~Six  miles  south  of  the 


station  is  located  the  "Victoria  Colony,** 
established  by  the  late  Mr.  George 
Grant,a  wealthy  scotchman,who  bought 
80,000  acres  of  land  here,  sold  a  portion 
to  settlers  and  retained  a  large  estate 
for  himself.  The  lands  have  a  rich  soil, 
are  well  cultivated,  and  dotted  in  all  di- 
rections with  the  homes  of  the  settlers, 
and  their  herd  of  horses,  cattle,  and 
sheep.    Prom  Victoria  it  is  10.5  miles  to 

Hays— County  Seat  of  Ellis  County 
—named  for  the  post  established  in 
1867,  about  half  a  mile  south  of  the 
station  on  a  high  plateau.  Hays  has  a 
population  exclusively  of  soldiers,  of 
about  700,  many  of  whom  are  engaged 
in  stock-raising— as  be  it  known  we 
have  reached  the  western  limits  of  the 
agriculturalists,  and  soon  will  bid  them 
good  bye,  and  grip  the  hand  of  the 
herdsman. 

The  next  station  is  13.2  miles  distant, 
and  is  the  end  of  the  third  district  of 
the.Smoky  Hill  Division. 

Elli».— We  are  now  on  the  "Cattle 
Trail."  At  this  station  are  immense 
yards  and  shutes,  for  the  accommoda- 
tion of  stockmen,  many  of  whom  drive 
up  great  droves  of  cattle  from  Texas, 
and  the  country  to  the  southwest,  as 
well  as  graze  them  in  the  surround- 
ing country.  In  fact,  this  is  the  great- 
est cattle-shipping  point  on  the  road. 
The  grasses  are  mostly  "bunch  grass*' 
and  "buffalo,"  or  "grandma  grass,**  the 
richest  and  most  nutritious  grown. 
The  article  on  "Western  Stock  Raising,** 
—in  Annex.  No.  29— will  apply  equally 
as  well  in  this  section  as  the  one  for 
which  it  was  ^^ritten. 

Ellis  has  about  500  enterprising,  law- 
abiding  citizens,  most  of  them  are  en- 
gaged in  stock-raising,  yet,  of  late,  the 
agflcultui^alists  are  crowding  in,  buy- 
ing up  the  lands,  and  it  will  not  oe 
long  before  the  cattle-men?— who  do 
not  buy  land— will  have  to  go  west. 

From  Ellis  it  is  10.3  miles  to  OoAL- 
LAH,  an  unimportant  station,  from 
which  it  is  9  miles  to 

Wa-Keeney,— one  of  the  most  en- 
terprising towns  on  the  road.  It  con- 
tains about  500  citizens,  many  of  them 
are  engaged  In  agricultural  pursuits, 
but  the  greater  portion  in  the  cattle 
business.  Here  we  find  one  of  th« 
finest  depot  buildings  on  the  road ;  it  is 


PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


5d 


SUMMIT  OF  THE  MOUNTAINS,  I0,000  FEET  HIGH. 


100  feet  by  30  feet,  and  32  feet  high, 
surmounted  with  a  tower  50  feet  high, 
and  a  platform  27  feet  wide.  There 
are  many  fine  stone  buildings,  princi- 
pal of  which  is  the  Oaks  House.  Leav- 
ing Wa-Keeney,  we  pass  on  rapidly 
through  a  section  of  country  almost 
wholly  occupied  by  cattle  men,  pass- 
ing the  stations,  with  the  distances 
between  as  follows:  Colter,  14.1 
miles  ;BuFFALo,14.3  miles  ;Grainfield, 
5.5  miles ;  Gbinnell,  9  miles ;  Carlyle, 
12.1  miles;  Mon't  Siding,  9.4  miles; 
Monument,  2  miles ;  Gopher,  9.7  miles ; 
Sheridan,  7.6  miles;  and  15.1  miles 
more  to 

Wal  I  ace— A  regular  eating  station, 
where  good  meals  are  served  for  75  cts. 
Population  about  250.  It  is  the  end  of 
the  third  district  of  the  Smoky  Hill 
Division,  and  the  commencement  of 


the  Denver  Division.  The  station  is 
in  the  midst  of  a  rolling  prairie,  two 
miles  north-west  of  Fort  Wallace,. 
established  in  1866.  It  is  situated  on 
the  fork  of  the  Smoky  Hill  River,  in 
latitude  38  deg.,  55  min.,  and  longitude 
100  deg.,  50  min.  from, Greenwich. 

For  the  last  hundred  miles  the  coun- 
try is  almost  wholly  occupied  by  the 
cattle-men,  and  will  continue  to  be  for 
the  next  150  miles,  so  we  shall  pass 
most  of  the  stations,  by  simply  naming 
them  and  the  distance  between :  I^rom 
"Wallace  it  is  8.5  miles  to  Eagle  Tail; 
8.3  miles  to  Monnotony  Siding;  3.2 
miles  to  Monnotony— we  are  nearing 
Monnotony  on  all  sides  now— 12  miles 
to  Arapaho,  where  the  State  line  is 
crossed,  and  we  enter  Colorado  ; 
9.5  miles  to  Cheyenne  Wells  ;  10.5 
miles  to  First  View— where,  if  tho. 


56 


crofutt's  new  overland  tourist. 


day  be  clear,  the  first  view  of  Pike's 
Peak  and  the  Rocky  Mountains  are  to 
be  had — and  14.7  miles  more  to 

M.it  Carson— named  for  the  old 
hunter, trapper  and  guide  of  that  name 
— and  somewhat  famous  as  being  the 
place  where  the  Grand  Duke  Alexis  of 
Russia  tarried  to  hunt  buffalo,  in  Jan- 
uary, 1872.  It  was  a  big  hunt,  and  it 
is  said  that  the  Duke  killed  40  of  the 
noble  animals,  and,  by  the  way,  we 
have  been  in  the  old  buffalo  range  for 
the  last  250  miles,  but,  of  late  years, 
few,  if  any,have  been  seen— went  with 
the  Indians.  From  Kit  Carson  it  is 
11.9  miles  to  Wild  Horse,  named  for  a 
band  of  wild  horses  that  once  roamed 
over  this  country ;  10.9  miles  to  Aroyo  ; 
13.4  to  Mirage,  and  11  more  to 

Hugo  — an  eating  station,  from 
which  it  is  12.5  to  Lake,  where  are  a 
few  pools  of  water.  8.8  miles  to  River 
Bend,  situated  on  the  big  bend  of  the 
Big  Sandy  Creek;  6.3  miles  to  Cedar 
Point;  4.2  miles  to  Godfry's,  where 
there  are  some  coal  mines  of  fair  qua- 
lity;  4.9  miles  to  Agate,  noted  for  the 
moss  agates  found  near  the  station ; 
12.2  miles  to  Deer  Tail,  situated  on 
East  Bijou  Creek;  12  miles  to  Byers. 
Prom  Byers  it  is  12.4  miles  to  Bennet  ; 
9.4  miles  to  Box  Elder,  situated  on  a 
creek  of  that  name ;  from  which  it  is 
12.4  miles  to  Schuyler,  and  9.3  miles 
more  to  Denver. 

Remember  !  For  full  and  complete 
information  in  regard  to  Colorado,  its 
wonderful  mines  of  gold,  silver,  cop- 


per and  other  precious  metals,  its 
agricultural,  stock-raising  and  varied 
resources ;  its  pleasure  resorts,  lakes, 
rivers,  mountains,  parks,  sulphur,  so- 
da, hot  and  medicinal  springs;  its 
magnificent  scenery,  railways,  etc., 
buy  "CrofutVs  Grip- Sack  Guide"  of 
Colorado,  a  complete  encyclopedia  of 
the  State,  profusely  illustrated. 

"  Tour  No.  one  gives  a  complete 
description  of  the  route  and  country 
from  Denver  to  Cheyenne,  where  con- 
nections are  made  with  the  Overland 
trains  from  Omaha  and  San  Francis- 
co.   Sold  on  all  trains. 

Leaving  Cheyenne,  just  in  the  bor- 
der of  the  city  we  cross  Crow  Creek, 
and  about  two  miles  from  the  city — 
by  looking  to  the  right,  northward — 
a  fine  view  can  be  had  of  Fort  Davy 
Russell,  previously  described.  We 
are  now  ascending  the  eastern  slope 
of  the  southern  range* of  the  Black 
Hills  of  Wyoming,  which  are  stretch- 
ing away  m  a  long  rugged  line  be- 
fore us. 

Colorado  Junction  — six  miles 
west  of  Cheyenne,  is  the  first  station 
we  reach,  and  the  junction  of  the  Co- 
lorado Central  Branch  The  track 
turns  off  at  the  left  of  the  station  and 
crosses  the  prairie  and  hills  to  the 
southward.  Four  miles  from  the 
Junction,  Borie,  a  small  side-track,  is 
passed,  from  which  it  is  4.2  miles  to 

Otto — Passenger  trains  usually 
meet  here,  stop  a  few  moments,  ex- 
change letters  and  papers, then  pass  on 


first  steam  railroad  train  in  AMERICA. 
The  above  illustration 


,  .         ^,  drawn  and  en- 

graved from  the  original  painting  in  the  posses- 
Bion  of  the  Connecticut  Historical  Society,  and 
represents  an  Excursion  Train  on  the  Mohawk 
and  Hudson  R.  R.  from  Albany  to  Schenectady, 
N.  Y.,  lu  1831,  the  FIB8T  steam  train  in  America. 
The  engii.e  was  the  "John  BuU,"  imported 
from  England,  as  well  as  the  engineer,  John 
Hampton,  "  expressly  for  this  road,  at  large  ex- 
pense." Her  cylinder  was  5H  inches,  1 6  inch 
stroke,  wheels  4'.^  feet.  The  boilers  had  thirty 
copper  tubes,  five  feet  long,  four  inches  in  diame- 
ter. Connecting  rods  are  worked  on  double  cranks 


on  front  axle.  Weight  of  engine,  complete,  4  tons. 
The  tender  represents  the  method  of  carrying  the 
fuel— wood— in  barrels,  with  a  few  sticks  handy 
for  mimediate  use.  The  cars  were  regular  stage 
bodies  set  on  car  wheels.  On  this  grand  excur- 
sion trial  trip  were  sixteen  persons,  who  were 
then  thought  venturesome,  many  of  whom  have 
since  filled  important  positions  in  the  councils  of 
the  country.  Mr.  Sidney  DiUon,  President  of 
the  Union  Pacific  R.  R. ,  it  seems,  was  one  of  the 
adventurous  few.  Here  is  food  for  thought  and 
comparison  with  the  improvements  of  the  pres- 
ent day. 


crofutt's  new  overland  tourist 


57 


— one  going  East  for  light,  the  other  West 
for  knowledge. 

We  are  now  6,724  feet  above  the  sea,  and 
the  traveler  should  note  the  rapid  rise 
made  from  this  point,  in  surmounting  the 
Black  Hills.  Here  the  heavy  grading 
commences,  and  snow  fences  will  be  nu- 
merous till  we  get  over  the  "  Hills."  To 
the  north  of  this  place,  at  the  base  of  the 
Hills,  is  a  fine  valley,  where  Crow  Creek 
finds  its  source  in  many  fine  springs.  The 
valley  contains  very  superior  grazing 
land,  and  in  conjunction  with  the  adja- 
cent hills,  affords  ample  game  fo^  the 
hunter. 

Fifteen  miles  from  this  station,  to  the 
north,  at  the  eastern  entrance  of  Cheyenne 
Pass,  is  the  site  of  old  Fort  Walbach, 
now  deserted.  Near  this  fort  are  the  head 
waters  of  Lodge  Pole  Creek. 

Oranite  Canyon— is  five  miles  west 
of  Otto,  and  574  feet  higher.  At  this  point 
are  extensive  stone  quarries,  whence  was 
taken  the  rock  for  the  company's  build- 
ings in  Cheyenne,  also  for  the  stone  ware- 
houses. Limestone  abounds  in  this  vicin- 
ity, and  many  kilns  have  been  erected.  To 
the  left  of  the  road,  and  down  the  canyon 
a  few  hundred  yards,  is  a  fine  spring,  from 
whence  the  water  is  elevated  to  the  tank 
by  the  roadside.  Half  a  mile  to  the  south 
are  a  number  of  fine  springs,  which — with 
others  to  the  westward — are  the  hpad-wa- 
ters  of  Lone  Tree  Creek,  a  tributary  of  the 
South  Platte  River.  Along  the  road  now 
is  i.eavy  rock-work,  and  on  the  exposed 
portions  of  the  road  may  be  seen  the  snow- 
sheds  and  snow-fences,  built  of  plank  or 
stone. 

Baford — is  a  small  side-track,  6  9-10 
miles  further.  Heavy  rock-work,  and 
snow-sheds  and  fences  mark  the  road. 
Water  for  the  station  is  elevated  from 
springs  down  the  ravine,  to  the  southward. 
The  country  here  presents  a  wild,  rug- 
ged and  grand  appearance.  The  level 
ground  or  Rttle  valleys  are  covered  with  a 
fine  coat  of  buffalo  grass,  and  now  and 
then  clumps  of  stunted  pine  appear  by 
the  roadside.  On  either  hand,  near  by, 
high,  bold  masses  of  granite  rear  their 
gray  sides,  piled  one  on  the  other,  in  wild 
confusion.  Up,  up,  still  higher,  in  the 
background  are  the  rocky,  pine-clad  peaks 
of  the  Black  Hills.  The  scene  is  pecu- 
liarly impressive  as  we  near  Sherman, 
especially  if  it  chances  to  be  one  of  those 
days  when  the  clouds  float  low  down  the 
horizon ;  then  the  traveler  looks  over  the 


intervening  space  between  him  and  the 
mountain  range  beyond,  and  sees  naught 
^but  floating  masses  of  vapor;  no  moun- 
tains, no  valley,  no  forest,  only  these  fleecy 
shapes,  and  a  long,  dark  line  rising  above 
them,  o'ertopped  by  the  glistening  sides  of 
Long's  Peak.  The  altitude  gained,  we 
see  on  the  north  side  of  the  road,a  sign- 
board—''Summit  of  the  Mountains;'* 
and  soon  after  reach 

Sherman  — eigr/i^  thousand  two 
hundred  and  forty -two  feet  above  level 
of  the  sea.  It  is  named  in  honor  of 
Gen.  Sherman.  On  a  high  point  just 
south  of  the  station,  a  monument  is 
being  erected  to  the  memory  of  Cakes 
and  Oliver  Ames.  Sherman  is  549 
miles  from  Omaha  and  1,365  from  San 
Francisco,  and  is  not  noted  for  its  size. 
The  trains  stop  here  but  a  few  min- 
utes. The  company's  buildings  consist  of 
a  comfortable  station,  a  small  repair  shop, 
and  a  round-house  of  five  stalls.  A  post- 
office,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  one 
store,  two  hotels,  two  saloons,  and  about 
twenty  houses  of  all  sorts,  constitute  the 
town. 

Seventy  miles  to  the  southwest  is  Long's 
Peak,  and  165  miles  to  the  south  is  Pike's 
Peak,  both  plainly  visible.  To  the  north- 
west, about  100  miles  distant,  is  Elk  Moun- 
tain, another  noted  land-mark.  The  maxi- 
mum grade  from  Cheyenne  to  Sherman  is 
88.176  feet  per  mile.  The  freight  taken  on 
at  this  station  for  the  East  and  West  is 
quite  extensive,  consisting  of  sawed  lum- 
ber, telegraph  poles,  and  wood  obtained  in 
the  hills  and  ravines  but  a  few  miles  dis- 
tant to  the  northward.  On  many  of  these 
hills,  and  in  the  canyons,  are  found  a 
dense  growth  of  hard  spruce  pine,  which, 
as  to  quality  and  adaptability  for  being 
dressed,  resembles  the  hemlock  of  the 
Eastern  States. 

The  winters  are  not  as  severe  at  Sherman 
as  many  think,  neither  is  the  snow-fall  as 
deep  as  many  would  suppose  from  seeing 
the  great  number  of  snow-sheds  and  fences ; 
snow  seldom  falls  more  than  a  few  inches 
in  depth.  It  is  not  the  dfepth  of  snow  that 
causes  any  inconvenience  to  the  working 
of  the  road,  but  it  is  the  di'ifting  of  it  into 
the  cuts  during  the  heavy  winds.  For  the 
purpose  of  preventing  this,  the  sheds, 
fences  and  walls  are  erected  along  the 
road,  the  latter  a  few  rods  away  from  the 
banks  of  the  cuts.  The  fences  cause  an 
eddy  or  current  of  air,  which  piles  the 
snow  along  in  huge  drifts,  keeping  it,  in  a 


68 


PACIFIC   COAST   GUIDE. 


great  measure,  from  the  track.  Snow-sheds 
cover  the  deepest  cuts  along  the  road, 
where  obstructions  from  the  snow  are  most 
likely  to  occur.  The  cold  rains  and  deep- 
est snows  come  with  an  east  wind ;  the 
worst  storms  come  from  the  southwest'. 

The  thermometer  at  Sherman  ranges 
from  82  deg.  Fahrenheit,  in  the  summer, 
to  30  deg.  below  zero  in  winter.  Springs 
of  sparkling  water  are  numerous  in  the 
suiTOunding  country,  and  form  many 
small  streams  which  \yind  their  way 
among  rocks  and  through  gorges  until 
they  are  lost  in  the  waters  of  other  streams. 

At  this  elevated  point,  the  tourist,  if  his 
"  wind  is  good,"  can  spend  a  long  time 
pleasantly  in  wandering  amid  some  of  the 
wildest,  grandest  scenes  to  be  found  on  the 
continent.  There  are  places  where  the 
rocks  rise  higher,  where  the  chasms  are 
far  deeper,  'where  the  surrounding  peaks 
may  be  loftier,  and  the  torrents  might- 
ier in  their  power,  and  still  they  do  not 


possess  such  power  over  the  mind  of  man 
as  does  the  wild,  desolate-looking  land- 
scape around  Sherman.  Although  the 
plateau  is  covered  with  grass,  and  occa- 
sional shrubs  and  stunted  trees  greet  the 
eye,  the  surrounding  bleakness  and  deso- 
lation render  this  place  one  of  awful  gran- 
deur. The  hand  of  Him  who  rules  the 
universe  is  nowhere  else  more  marked,  and 
in  no  place  will  the  tourist  feel  so  utterly 
alone,  so  completely  isolated  from  man- 
kind, and  left  entirely  with  nature,  as  at 
Sherman,  on  the  Black  Hills  of  Wyoming. 

At  the  first  the  tourist  experiences  much 
difficulty  in  breathing,  the  extreme  light- 
ness of  the  air  trying  the  lungs  to  their  ut- 
most capacity,  but  becoming  accustomed 
to  the  change,  and  inhaling  long  draughts 
of  the  pure  mountain  air,  will  greatly  pre- 
fer it  to  a  heavier  atmosphere. 

Fish  and  Game — There  is  no  spot  along 
the  line  of  road  which  can  be  compared  to 
the  locality  around  Sherman  for  trout  fish- 


PALISADES   OF  THE   HUMBOLDT   RIVER,    C.  P.  R.R. 


CROFUTT  S    NEW    OVERLAND    TOURIST 


59 


Ing.  The  tiniest  rivulets  swarm  witli  them, 
and  their  speckled  sides  glisten  in  every 
eddy.  They  wei^h  from  one-fourth  to  two 
pounds,  and  their  flesh  is  as  hard  and 
white  as  that  of  the  mountain  trout  of 
Vermont. 

Antelope,  elk,  black-tailed  deer,  bear, 
sage  hens  and  grouse  abound  in  the  hills 
and  on  the  plateaus.  The  angler,  hunter, 
or  tourist  should  never  pass  Sherman  with- 
out pausing  'ong  enough  to  fly  a  hook  and 
try  his  rifle.  Doubtless  this  point  will  be- 
come £  favorite  summer  resort  for  travelers, 
when  the  hotel  accommodations  ai'e  uch 
as  to  entice  them  to  remain,  as  it  possesses 
eminent  attractions  for  hunting  and  fishing. 

From  Sherman  to  Rawlin's,  160  miles, 
the  road  runs  between  the  Black  Hills  and 
the*  Rocky  Mountain  range,  presenting 
varied  and  impressive  scenery  at  various 
points. 

Leaving  Sherman,  the  road  turns  to  the 
left,  and  passes  through  several  long  snow- 
sheds  and  deep  rock  cuts  to 

Dale  Creek  Bridge — Dale  Creek  is  a 
noted  stream,  although  a  small  one,  and 
should  have  a  noted  briage — as  it  has. 
When  the  road  was  being  constructed  over 
these  hills,  in  1867,  the  railroad  company 
built  a  plated  wooden  frame-work  structure 
650  feet  long,  from  blufi"  to  bluff  and  126 
feet  high.  The  bridge  stood  on  trestles, 
interlaced  with  each  other,  and  securely 
corded  together  and  stayed  by  wire  cables, 
secured  to,  and  sloping  from,  the  bridge  on 
each  side  to  substantial  anchorage,  down 
into  the  valley  below,  presenting  a  light 
and  graceful  appearance  when  viewed 
from  the  creek  below.  This  old  bridge 
-  was  replaced  in  1877  by  one  of  iron,  of 
similar  dimensions,  built  in  the  most  sub- 
stantial manner— see  illustration,  page  49. 

From  the  bridge,  the  beautiful  little 
stream  looks  like  a  silver  thread  below  us, 
the  sun  glistening  its  surface  with  a  thou- 
sand flashes  of  silvery  light.  Anon,  the 
dark  walls  of  the  canyon  shade  it,  as 
though  they  were  envious  or  jealous  of  its 
beauty  being  rendered  common  property. 
A  narrow,  green  valley,  half  a  mile  above 
the  bridge,  is  the  site  of  the  former 
Dale  City,  where,  at  one  time,  were 
over  600  inhabitants.  Now,  a  few  hundred 
yards  above  tlie  bridge,  can  be  seen  a  soli- 
tary house— like  a  lone  sentinel  in  front  of 
a  deserted  camp.  Here,  too.  as  well  as 
around  Sherman,  and  all  over  the  Black 
Hills,  are  found  countless  flowers  of  every 


variety  and  hue,  over  300  varieties  of  which 
have  been  classified. 

ViRGiNL\  Dale — is  situated  fifteen  miles 
southwest  of  Sherman,  in  Colorado,  at  the 
head  of  a  deep  gorge,  on  Dale  Creek,  near 
the  Cache-a-la  Poudre  River.  On  the  east 
side  of  the  canyon,  the  wall  of  overhanging 
rock  rises  about  600  feet  high,  for  a  mile 
along  the  stream,  giving  a  wild  and  pictur- 
esque beauty,  a  sublimity  and  grandeur 
to  the  scene,  rai-ely  surpassed.  This  point 
is  called  the  "Lover's  Leap,"  though  we 
never  learned  that  any  one  ever  leaped  off; 
but  if  the  leap  was  made,  we  j  udge  that 
the  jar  on  alighting  in  the  valley,  600  feet 
below,  must  have  knocked  all  the  love, 
romance  or  sentiment  out  of  those  making 
it  In  and  around  this  place  are  numerous 
dells,  grottoes,  gorges,  canyons,  precipices, 
towering  peaks  and  rugged  recesses, 
;  enough  to  employ  the  tourist  for  some 
time  in  examining  their  beauties. 

Some  "yellow-covered  novelist"  has 
immortalized  Virginia  Dale,  by  calling  it 
the  "Robbers'  Roost,"  though  failing  to 
inform  us  what  they  roosted  on.  But 
aside  from  this  questionable  honor,  Virginia 
Dale  is  the  most  widely  known  and  cele- 
brated of  any  locality  in  these  mountains. 
There  are  a  few  good  buildings  around  the 
place,  where  excursionists,  who  visit  to 
enjoy  the  scenery,  mountain  air,  and  rare 
fisiiing  and  hunting,  are  provided  for. 
See  Annex,  No  10. 

"We  now  return  to  the  railroad,  cross  the 
bridge,  and  turn  away  to  the  northward, 
through  long  snow-sheds  and  rocky  cuts, 
made  through  red  sandstone,  six  miles  to 
Tie  ^^iding — This  station  is  important 
only  in  the  fact  of  its  being  a  point  where 
great  quantities  of  ties  and  wood  are 
brought  to  the  railroad  from  the  hills  to 
the  northward.  The  view  to  the  south 
is  that  of  a  very  broken  and  rugged  coun- 
try. To  the  west,  the  southern  end  of 
the  great  Laramie  Plains  is  spread  out, 
almost  at  our  feet,  twenty  miles  in  width, 
with  the  wondrous  Rocky  Mountains  ris- 
ing from  its  western  border,  range  upon 
ran^e,  peak  overlapping  peak,  away  up, 
up  into  the  regions  of  perpetual  snow, 
over  one  hundred  miles  away. 

Our  train  is  descending  rapidly,  and 
more  to  the  northward ;  steam  is  no  longer 
required — only  brakes.  Onward.  4  1-10 
miles,  through  snow-sheds  and  deep  exca. 
vations,  brings  us  to 

Harney  —  an    unimportant   station 
Passing  on,  to  the  left  can  be  seen  the  old 


rACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


CROSSING  THE  RANGE  ON  SNOW  SKTATES-SEE  ANNEX  NO.  32. 


Denver  and  Salt  Lake  stage  road,  the  tele- 
graph  marking  the  line  for  some  distance 
along  the  railroad.  On  the  right  hand,  the 
whole  valley  has  been  fenced  in  for 
grazing  purposes. 

The  next  station  is  4 1-3  miles,  denomi- 
nated 

Red  Buttes— This  locality  derived 
its  name  from  several  ridges  and  peculiar 
formations  of  sandstone  lying  between  the 
railroad  and  the  Black  Hills  on  the  right. 

Many  of  these  sandstones  rear  their 
peaks  from  500  to  1,000  feet  above  the 
plain,  apparently  worn  and  washed  by  the 
elements,  into  wild,  fantastic  shapes  and 
grotesque  figures.  Rocks  which,  at  a  dis- 
tance, mi^ht  be  taken  for  castles,  rise  side 
by  side  with  the  wall  of  an  immense  fort ; 
churches  rear  their  roofs,  almost  shading 
the  lowly  cottage  by  their  side ;  columns, 
monuments  ana  pyramids  are  mixed  up 
with  themselves  and  each  other,  as  -though 
some   malignant   power   had  carried  off 


some  mighty  city  of  the  olden  time,  and, 
wearying  of  his  booty,  had  thrown  it  down 
upep  these  plains,  without  much  regard 
to  the  order  m  which  the  buildings  were 
placed. 

Some  few  only  of  these  curiosities,  can  be 
seen  from  the  car  windows,  and  those  are 
not  the  largest.  The  tourist,  by  stopping 
over  a  day  or  two  at  Laramie,  would  find 
much  of  interest  in  this  section  of  the 
country. 

The  Laramie  River  rises  about  50  miles 
to  the  southwest  from  Red  Buttes,  on  the 
eastern  slope  of  the  mountains— its  source 
being  composed  of  almost  innumerable 
springs.  Its  general  course  is  northeast 
for  200  miles,  when  it  empties  into  the 
North  Platte  River  at  Fort  Laramie. 

During  the  building  of  the  road,  thou- 
sands of  ties  were  fioated  down  to  Lara, 
mie,  and  thence    hauled  along  the  line. 

The  supply  of  timber  in  this  region  is 
as  near  inexhaustible  as  can  well  be  im- 


AND   PACIFIC   COAST  GUIDE. 


61 


agined,  where  forests  do  not  recover 
from  the  cutting.  Saw  mills  will  find 
employmentfor  many  generations  ere 
they  can  lay  bare  these  mountains. 

Six  and  a  half  miles  from  Red  Buttes 
is  a  station  for  the  military  post  of 
Fort  Sanders, which  is  situated  on  the 
east  side  of  the  railroad,  close  to  the 
track,  and  in  plain  view  for  miles.  The 
buildings  are  principally  of  logs,  sev- 
eral of  stone  and  one  an  ordinary 
frame — headquarters.  This  post  was 
established  June  23, 1866,  by  two  com- 
panies of  the  Third  Battalion  U.  S.  In- 
fantry, under  the  command  of  Brevet 
Lieut. -Col.  H.  M.  Mizner,  Captain  18th 
Infantry.  Latitude  41  deg.,  13  min.,  4 
sec.  (observation),  longitude  105  deg., 
40  min.  (approximate^. 

Two  and  a  half  miles  farther  on  we 
arrive  at  the  end  of  the  "Mountain  Di- 
vision" of  the  road. 

liaramie  City — the  enterprising 
county  seat  of  Albany  county,  has 
wonderfully  improved  within  the  last 
few  years.  It  has  a  population  of  4,000 
and  is  regularly  laid  out  at  right  angles 
with  the  road.  A  stream  of  clear,  cold 
water,  which  rises  in  a  spring  a  few 
miles  to  the  eastward,  runs  tnrough 
the  principal  streets ;  the  buildings  are 
small  and  mostly  of  wood,  with  a  few 
substantial  structures  of  stone.  The 
spirit  of  improvement  is  manifested 
on  every  hand,  which  has  recently 
completed  numerous  stores,  hotels, 
banks,  churches,  schools,  dwellings, 
and  other  buildings,  including  a  court 
house  and  jail.  Trees  line  many  of  the 
streets,  and  present  a  cheerful  a.nd 
home-like  appearance;  in  fact,  most 
of  the  Laramie  residents  are  here  to 
stay.  For  many  years  after  the  com- 
pletion of  the  road  this  was  a  regular 
eating  station  for  passenger  trains 
from  the  East  and  West.  The  meals 
were  served  in  the  Thornburg  House, 
at  present  a  first-class  hotel,  in  front 
of  which  the  cars  stop.  The  Sentinel, 
weekly,  and  Boomerang,  daily,  are 
published  here. 

Rolling  Mill — During  the  year  1874 
the  railroad  company  erected  a  rolling 
mill  at  this  place,  at  a  cost  of  $127,500. 
It  is  situated  to  the  right  of  the  road,  a 
short  distance  north  of  the  station, 
and  is  in  operation  night  and  day,  re- 
rolling  old  rails  and  other  heavy  work. 
The  company's  division  shops  are  also 


located  here.  They  are  of  stone  obtain- 
ed from  Rock  Creek,  50  miles  north. 
The  round-house  contains  20  stalls. 
The  machine  shop  is  used  for  general 
repairing,  and  is  first-class  in  outfit. 

The  railroad  was  completed  to  this 
point  June  18, 1868,  and  for  some  time 
Laramie  was  known  as  the  "end  of  the 
track,"  and  during  that  time  it  was  not 
only  the  place  from  which  all  freight 
and  supplies  for  the  West  were  hauled 
by  wagonSjbut  it  was  the  center  for  all 
the  roughs  and  abominations  which 
followed  the  building  of  the  road. 

Directly  to  the  east  can  be  seen  the 
Cheyenne  Pass  wagon  road— the  old 
emigrant  route  —  which  crosses  the 
plain  and  river  h  mile  above  the  city, 
running  north  along  the  mouuntains. 

Laramie  was  the  first  place  in  Amer- 
ica— or  in  the  world  even — where  a  fe- 
male jury  was  empaneled.  Their  first 
case  was  that  of  a  Western  desperado, 
and  there  was  no  flinching  from  duty. 

Curious  passengers  will  note  from 
this  city  west,  the  railroad  laborers- 
section  hands— are  Chinamen.  They 
are  said  to  be  very  reliable. 

Laramie  Plains — comprise  a  belt  of 
fine  grazing  lands,  about  25  miles  wide 
by  60  long,  and  the  remarks  about  the 
grazing  lands  elsewhere  will  well  ap- 
ply to  this  section.  Beef  caa  be  raised 
and  fattened  on  these  plains  as  cheap- 
ly as  in  Texas,  where,  as  every  one 
knows, they  raise  themselves  and  form 
the  larger  half  of  the  population.  The 
peculiar  features  of  these  grasses  are 
similar  to  those  already  described. 
The  plains  are  higher,  and  frost  ap- 
pears earlier  in  the  fall,  but  the  sum- 
mer sun  cures  the  grass  before  its  ar- 
rival,so  that  the  cold  weather  does  not 
injure  it.  We  need  only  mention  the 
well-known  fact  that  thousands  of 
buffalo  once  roamed  these  plains,  fur- 
nishing the  Indians  unlimited  beef,  to 
convince  any  one  that  the  laudations 
of  this  as  a  grazing  country  are  not  ex- 
agigerated  or  wild  ideas,  but  substan- 
tiated facts,  proved  by  experience. 

Stock-raising  is  now  almost  the 
only  industry  noticeable,  and  a  great 
many  thousand  head  of  cattle,  sheep 
and  horses  can  ba  seen  in  almost 
any  direction.  It  is  computed  that 
there  are  at  this  time  over  90,000 
head  of  cattle,  85,000  head  of  sheep, 
and  three  thousand  horses  and  mules 


62 


CROFUTT  S    NEW    OVERLAND    TOURIST 


within  40  miles  of  Laramie,  valued  at 
$3,350,000.  In  1867,  there  couldn't  be 
found  in  the  same  section  500  head  of  all 
kinds— all  told.  Agriculture  is  not  profit- 
able, yet  they  have  demonstrated  that  some 
of  the  hardy  vegetables  can  be  cultivated 
with  success  on  the  bottom  lands. 

Items  of  Interest — Crystal  Lake  is 
about  40  miles  to  the  westward  of  Lara- 
mie, ^eep  Mountain — one  of  the  peaks 
in  the  Rocky  Mountain  range — rears  its 
head  for  13,000  feet  above  the  sea.  Should 
the  tourist  desire  to  visit  the  place,  he  will 
find  the  road  bei^ond  the  plains  rough, 
and  the  ascent  toilsome.  Before  begin- 
ning the  ascent  of  the  mountains  we  enter 
one  of  the  grandest  forests  in  the  country. 
For  ten  miles  we  toil  on  through  the  for- 
est, which  is  so  dense  that  the  sunlight 
hardly  penetrates,  and  the  silence  is  almost 
oppressive.  Bears,  mountain  lions,  and 
the  mountain  sheep  range  here;  their 
haunts,  until  lately,  never  having  been  in- 
vaded by  the  pale  face.  Emerging  from 
this  gloom  into  the  fair  sunlight,  we  find 
ourselves  on  the  highest  point  of  the  moun- 
tain, from  which  we  can  look  over  piles  of 
fleecy  clouds  floating  below  us  to  other 
ranges  far  beyond.  I'eak  on  peak,  ridge 
on  ridge,  they  ascend,  until  their  snow- 
clad  heights  are  lost  in  the  distance,  or  in 
the  vast  blue  dome  above. 

Looking  downward,  we  behold  a  vast 
succession  ot  dark  ridges  and  ^rey  peaks 
through  the  rifts  in  the  fog-like  vapor 
floating  above  them.  These  dark  ridges 
derive  their  sombre  hue  from  the  forests 
of  pine,  which  extend  for  miles  and  miles 
in  all  directions.  To  the  east  we  see  a 
deep  indentation  in  the  mountains,  which  is 
Laramie  Plains.  Across  this  apparently 
narrow  line,  the  rugged  masses  of  the 
Black  Hills  rise  in  their  grandeur,  their 
black  cre^  closing  the  scene. 

Turn  now  to  the  immediate  landscape. 
Here  is  a  green,  grassy  lawn,  dotted  with 
tiny  flowers,  of  varieties  such  as  we  never 
before  beheld,  or  ever  read  of,  and  right 
before  us,  in  the  center  of  this  lawn,  lies  a 
circular  lake  nearly  a  mile  wide ;  its  clear, 
soft,  cold  water  glistening  in  the  rays  of 
the  sun,  and  reflecting,  as  in  a  mirror,  every 
object  on  its  banks,  transforming  them 
into  many  fantastic  shapes,  as  the  breeze 
lovingly  kisses  the  silver  surface,  lifting 
it  into  little  ripples. 

•  The  scene  is  one  of  unsurpassed  loveli- 
ness immediately  around  you  while  the 
view  in  the  distance  is  grand,  aye,  sub- 


lime— beyond  the  power  of  words  to  de- 
pict. Whoever  visits  this  place  cannot 
fail  of  being  impressed  with  its  wonderous 
beauty,  and  his  mind  will  take  newer  and 
clearer  impressions  of  the  power  of  "Him 
who  hath  created  all  things." 

The  Snowy  Range — the  great  backbone 
of  the  continent — is  covered  with  snow  for  a 
great  part  of  the  season ;  the  highest  peaks 
ever  wearing  their  white  robes,  even  when 
the  passes  are  covered  with  flowers.  This 
renders  them  very  conspicuous  and  easily 
discerned  at  a  great  distance.  Hence  the 
term  "  Snowy  Range." 

Characteristics  of  the  Country — In 
general  descriptions  we  speak  of  Laramie 
Plains  as  including  all  the  country  lying 
between  the  western  base  of  the  Black 
Hills  and  the  eastern  base  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains — a  grand  park,  similar  in  for- 
mation  to  the  great  parks  of  Colorado, 
though  of  much  less  altitude.  These 
"parks"  are  immense  bodies  of  table 
lands,  enclosed  by  the  peaks  and  ridges 
of  the  surrounding  mountains,  sheltered 
by  them  from  the  cold  winds,  watered  by 
them  from  the  never-failing  streams  which 
flow  from  gorges  and  canyons  among 
these  peaks,  from  which  the  snow  is  never 
absent.  The  average  elevation  of  the  Lar- 
amie Plains  or  park  is  about  6,500  feet, 
though  where  Laramie  City  stands  it  is 
more.  The  Black  Hill  ranges  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains  form  the  eastern  and  northern 
boundary  of  the  "Plains."  This  range 
extends  nearly  due  north  to  Laramie  Peak, 
about  150  miles,  thence  west,  terminating 
in  the  Seminole  Mountains.  On  the  south, 
the  park  or  plain  is  bordered  by  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  which  here  reach  an  elevation 
of  from  10,000  to  13,000  feet  above  the  sea 
— snow-capped  always.  To  the  altitude  of 
from  8,000  to  9,000  feet,  these  slopes  ai'e 
covered  with  dense  pine  forests. 

In  the  mountains  to  the  westward,  in 
North  Park,  Douglass,  and  other  creeks, 
rich  mines  of  gold,  silver,  copper, 'and 
nearly  all  the  known  metals  have  been  dis- 
covered, and  in  several  cases,  worked  to  ad- 
vantage. The  Keystone  is  reported  to  be  a 
very  rich  mine,  the  owners  of  which  are 
taking  out  the  ore  and  piling  it  up,  to  await 
the  arrival  of  a  stamp  mill  which  will  be 
put  up  in  a  few  months.  Undoubtedly 
there  are  vast  regions  tributary  to  Laramie 
equally  well-stored  with  mineral  deposits, 
that  have  never  been  prospected  or  visited 
by  the  white  men. 

On    the   northwest    from    out  the  Elk 


PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


63 


Mountains,  juts  the  Rattlesnake  Range,  ex- 
tending nortli  to  tlie  Nortli  Platte,  carrying 
an  elevation  of  nearly  8,000  feet. 

Through  the  western  range,  the  North 
Platte  canyons,  and.  on  the  east,  the  Medi- 
cine Bow  River  cuts  through  the  eastern 
range,  separating  it  from  the  foot-hills  of 
the  northerly  range  of  the  Black  Hills. 
Through  the  plains  flow  the  Big  and  Little 
Laramie  Rivers,  which,  as  we  before  stated, 
rise  in  the  mountains  which  border  the 
western  rim  of  the  plains.  These  streams 
canyon  through  the  Black  Hills  north  of 
Laramie  Peak,  and  enter  the  North  Platte 
near  Fort  Laramie.  i 

Rock  Creek  rises  east  of  Medicine  Bow, 
and  after  flowing  north  to  about  latitude 
42  degs.  flows  west  and  empties  into  the 
Medicine  Bow.  This  river  rises  in  Medi- 
cine Bow  Mountains,  and  flows  north  to 
about  the  same  latitude  as  Rock  Creek, 
thence  west,  and  canyons  through  the  Rat- 
tlesnake range  of  hills,  enteringlhe  North 
Platte  about  150  miles  nortliwest  of  Lara- 
mie City,  in  latitude  42  deg.  3  min. 

By  this  showing  it  will  be  observed  that 
the  immense  park,  or  Laramie  Plains,  is 
well  watered — sufficiendy  for  grazing  and 
irrigation.  We  have  been  more  explicit, 
have  dwelt  longer  on  thee  points  than  we 
should  have  done,  did  we  not  feel  a  desire 
to  show  to  the  emigrant,  or  to  those  who 
are  seeking  good  locations  for  grazing 
lands,  that  the  Laramie  Plains  possess 
these  advantages  in  an  eminent  degree. 
We  have  wandered  far  away  from  the 
plains  in  our  descriptions,  but  the  grazing 
lands  end  not  with  the  plains.  The  moun- 
tain sides,  until  the  timber  belt  is  reached, 
the  valleys,  blufls,  and  foot-hills,  all  pre- 
sent the  same  feature  in  point  of  luxuriant 
crops  of  gras?.  The  valleys  of  the  streams 
mentioned  also  contain  thousands  of  acres 
of  meadow  land,  where  hay  can  be  cut  in 
abundance,  and,  if  the  season  will  permit, 
wheat,  barley  and  rye  might  be  grown  to 
advantage,  the  soil  being  a  black  loam, 
and  sufficiently  moist  to  insure  good  crops 
without  irrigation. 

Fish  and  Game — Trout — the  finest  in 
the  world — can  be  found  in  every  moun- 
tain stream,  while  every  variety  of  game 
ranges  over  the  mountains,  hills  valleys 
and  plains  in  countless  numbers. 

With  these  general  remarks,  we  will  re* 
turn  to  Laramie,  and  proceed  on  our  jour- 
ney. Soon  after  leaving  the  city,  we  cross 
the  Laramie  River,  and  eight  miles  brings 
us  to 


Hoivell's — an  unimportant  station, 
where  passenger  trains  seldom  stop.  It  is 
then  7  6-10  miles  to 

W^yoming — on  the  Little  Laramie 
River.  During  the  building  of  the  road 
large  quantities  of  ties  were  received  at 
this  point,  which  were  cut  at  the  head  of 
the  river  and  floated  down  the  stream  in 
high  water.  The  country  is  a  broad  prai- 
rie. At  the  station  we  crossed  Little  Lara- 
mie, a  small  stream  which  rises  in  the 
mountains  to  the  westward  and  empties 
into  Laramie  River.  To  the  next  sta- 
tion— 

Hnttoii's — it  is  6.9  miles,  and  6.6 
more  to 

Cooper  liake— Near  the  station,  to 
the  westward,  lies  a  beautiful  sheet  of  wa- 
ter,  about  two  miles  long  by  half-a-mile 
wide,  for  which  the  station  is  named. 

liOokont — a  station  with  an  altitude 
of  7,169  feet— is  5  4-10  miles  from  Cooper 
Lake.  We  are  now  entering  the  rolling 
prairie  country,  where,  for  25  miles  either 
way  along  the  road,  vast  herds  of  elk, 
deer  and  antelope  are  found  at  different 
seasons  of  tlie  year — the  elk  being  mostly 
found  in  the  winter,  when  the  snow  drives 
them  from  the  mountains.  We  also  begin 
to  find  occasional  bunches  of  sage-brush, 
which  tell  us  that  we  have  entered  the 
country  where  this  more  useful  than  orna- 
mental shrub  abounds.  Occasionally  we 
pass  through  cuts  and  over  low  fills,  by 
snow-fences,  and  through  snow-sheds,  the 
country  growing  rougher  as  we  pass  along 
5.7  miles  to 

Harper's  — from  which  it  is  6.3 
miles  to 

Miser  {Station— Sage-brush  is  the 
rule.  Just  before  reaching  the  station, 
we  pass  through  a  very  deep  cut— one 
of  the  deepest  on  the  road— where  a  lit- 
Ue  spur  of  the  bluffs  rises  abruptly 
from  the  plains,  right  in  the  way  of  the 
road.  Just  before  reaching  the  next 
station,  we  cross  Rock  Creek,  towards 
the  head  of  which  is  good  trout  Ash- 
ing.   It  is  5  1-10  miles  to 

Kock  Creek— a  small  eating  sta- 
tion, on  a  small  creek  of  the  same  name. 
Trains  from  the  east  stop  for  supper, 
from  the  west  for  breakfast,  30  minutes 

The  English  language  is  wonderful  for  its  apt- 
ness  of  expression.  When  a  number  of  men  and 
women  get  together  and  look  at  each  other  from 
the  sides  of  a  room,  that's  called  a  sociable.  When 
a  hungry  crowd  call*  upon  a  poor  station  keeper 
and  eats  him  out  of  house  and  home,  that's  called 
a  donation  party. 


64 


CROFUTT  S    NEW    OVERLAND    TOURIST 


are  allowed  for  that  purpose;  and,  it 
is  said,  the  meals  served  are  much 
improved  on  those  of  former  years. 
'AH  travelers  appreciate  good  fare. 

Leaving  the  sration,  our  course  now  lies 
to  the  eastward  ;  the  train  w  inds  around 
the  spurs  of  the  blutfs,  which  stem  to  bar 
our  way  by  interlocking  with  each  other, 
on  through  a  rough,  rolling  country,  again 
turning  to  the  westward,  over  briages  and 
fills,  through  cuts  and  snow-sheds,  for  7 
1-10  miles  to 

liVilcox — an  unimportant  station,  and 
we  continue  crossing  creeks  and  ravines 
for  8  4-10  miles  more,  of  difficult  engineer- 
ing and  middling  heavy  road-work,  and 
arrive  at 

x4iirora — formerly  Como,  a  small 
place.  Soon  after  passing  the  station  we 
come  to  Como  Lake,  a  beautilul  little 
sheet  of  water,  lying  to  the  right  of  the 
road.  It  is  about  one  mile  long  and  half- 
a-mile  wide,  and  contains  a  peculiar  fish, 
a  "fish  with  legs."  The^e  fishaniTna's 
possess  gills  something  l.ke  a  cat-fish;  are 
amphibious,  being  often  found  crawling 
clumsily  around  on  land,  miles  from  the 
lake.  Quite  a  variety  of  peculiar  fossl 
hhells  are  found  around  the  lake  that  are 
gathered  in  summer  by  persons  who  offer 
tliL^m  tor  sale  to  the  tourists. 

Medicine  Bow  River — is  crossed  a  few 
miles  after  leaving  Como.  It  rises  in  the 
Medicine  Bow  Mountains,  as  before  stated, 
and  empties  its  waters  into  the  North 
Platte  River. 

This  river  was  long  a  noted  resort  for 
Indians,  and  several  treaties  have  been 
made  on  its  banks  between  the  "  noble  red 
men "  and  their  pale-faced  '•  brothers." 
The  valley  of  the  river,  above  the  railroad, 
for  thirty  miles  or  more,  is  broad,  fine  bot- 
tom-land, until  it  reaches  the  base  of  the 
mountain  From  thence  to  its  source  the 
course  of  the  river  is  through  immense 
forests  of  pine,  whch  present  unrivaled 
facilities  for  lumbering.  Fish  are  found 
in  ^reat  quantities  in  the  stream,  and  the 
various  kinds  of  game  which  abound  in 
til  is  countrjr  are  found  in  the  mountains 
where  the  river  has  its  source.  Soon  after 
crossing  the  river,  and  7  1-10  mile's  from 
Como,  w^e  come  to 

jyiedicine  Bow — containing  several 
stores,  and  saloons,  freight  house,  passen- 
ger station,  and  a  five-stall  round-house. 

Leaving  this  station,  the  road  is  laid 
over  a  smooth,  level  plain,  for  7.5 
miles,  when  it  enters  a  rough,  hilly. 


sage-bruali  country,  and  stops  at 

:WileM  J  unctMin— f rom  which  the 
train,  winding  around  through  deep 
cuts  and  long  snow-sheds,  for  3  2-10 
miles  further,  to 

Carbon— Here  was  discovered  the 
first  coal  on  the  Union  Pacific  Ry .  Two 
veins  have  been  aliened,  averaging 
about  ten  feet.  This  coal  is  used  prin- 
cipally by  the  Ry.  Co,  for  their  locomo- 
tives—the quality  not  being  so  good 
for  domestic  use  as  that  mined  further 
west,  at  Rock  Springs  and  Evanston. 

The  coal  is  raised  from  the  mine  and 
dumped  into  the  flat-cars,  while  standing 
on  the  track — the  shaft  of  the  mine  being 
between  the  main  and  side  track,  close  to 
the  station;  a  stationary  engine  furnish- 
ing the  hoisting  power.  Another  shaft  18 
to  the  south  of  the  town,  a  short  distance, 
reached  by  a  railtrack. 

Carbon  contains  a  population  of  about 
800,  and  is  the  county  seat  of  Carbon  coun- 
ty, which  contains  a  population  of  about 
:^,000 — most  of  whom  are  engaged  in  stock- 
raising. 

Simpson — a  small,  unimportant  side- 
track,is  reached  fi.3  miles  fromCarbon, 
after  passing  through  a  succession  of  cuts, 
many  of  which  are  covered  with  snow- 
sheds.  Passenger  cars  do  not  stop.  The 
road  now  curves  around,  and  runs  almost 
due  west  for  50  miles.  To  the  next  sta- 
tion it  is  4 5- 10  miles. 

Percy — The  station  was  named  for 
Percy  T.  Brown,  an  engineer  who  was 
killed  by  the  Indians,  while  employed  sur- 
veying the  line. 

During  the  construction  of  the  road, 
this  was  an  important  station.  Ties,  tele- 
graph poles,  wood  and  bridge  timber,  were 
landed  at  this  point  in  immense  quantities. 

They  were  obtained  at  Elk  Mountain, 
seven  miles  to  the  south.  The  old  stage  ^ 
road  winds  around  the  base  of  the  moun- 
tain, between  that  and  the  railroad.  Near 
the  foot  of  the  mountain,  old  Fort  Hal  leek 
and  one  of  the  most  important  stations  of 
the  Overland  Stage  Company,  were  located ; 
both  are  now  abandoned. 

Elk  Mountain — is  a  noted,  landmark, 
and  quite  a  curiosity  in  its  way.  It  rises 
to  a  great  height,  its  top  being  covered, 
with  snow  a  great  portion  of  the  year, 
and  at  any  time  snow  can  be  found  in 
places  on  the  summit.  It  has  the  appear- 
ance of  being  an  isolated  peak,  though, 
reall}',  it  is  the  extreme  northern  spur  of 
the  Medicine  Bow  Mountains.    It  is,  how- 


AND    PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


65 


SEALS  AND  SEA  LIONS  AT  FARALLONES  ISLANDS,  BELOW  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


ever,  surrounded  by  rolling  prairie  land, 
and  seems  to  rise  boldly  from  it,  rough, 
rugged  and  alone.  On  the  west  side,  the 
summit  is  easily  reached  by  a  good  road, 
made  by  the  lumbermen.  The  mountain 
is  nearly  round,  about  six  miles  in  diame- 
ter at  its  base.  Its  sides  are  covered  with 
dense  forests  of  pine,  aspen  and  hemlock. 
It  is  worthy  of  note,  that  this  is  the  only 
point  where  the  latter  species  of  timber 
is  found  along  the  line  of  the  road.  It 
grows  in  profusion  with  the  spruce  in  the 
gorges,  near  the  summit. 

To  the  south  is  a  fine  valley,  about  15 
miles  wide  and  20  miles  long.  Pass  Creek, 
which  rises  in  the  Medicine  Bow  Moun- 
tains, runs  through  this  valley  on  its 
way   to  the  North   Platte  River.    Large 


quantities  of  hay  are  cut  in  the  bottom' 
lands  along  the  creek.  This  stream,  like 
all  others  which  rise  iri  this  range,  is  full 
of  fine  trout  and  other  fish.  Antelope 
abound  on  the  plain,  with  elk,  deer,  bears 
and  mountain  sheep,  while  mountain  lions 
find  their  homes  in  the  dark  ravines  and 
gloomy  gorges  of  the  mountain. 

]>ana — is  an  unimportant  station  6- 
1-10  miles  west  of  Percy.  From  Percy  to 
the  North  Platte  River,  29  miles,  the  road 
is  built  down  the  valley  of  an  alkali  ravine. 
Sage-brush  and  stagnant  pools  of  alkali 
water  are  the  only  objects  that  greet  the 
eye — perhaps  an  unpleasant  greeting. 

Kd son— for  many  years  known  as 
St.  Mary's— is  7  5-10  miles  from  Dana. 
Soon  after  leaving  the  station,  our 


66 


CBOFUTT'S   NEW   OVERLAND   TOURIST 


train  enters  the  ravine,  where  the  bluffs  as- 
sume more  formidable  features;  in  fact, 
the  ravine  becomes  a  gorge,  the  rugged 
spurs  shooting  out  as  tliough  they  would 
reach  the  opposite  wall,  and  bar  out  farther 
progress.  The  first  one  of  these  spurs  does 
indeed  bar  our  way,  or  did  until  a  tunnel 
was  completed.  Before  this  tunnel  was 
finished,  the  company  laid  the  road  around 
the  point  of  the  spur  on  a  temporary  track. 
Emerging  from  the  tunnel,  the  train  rushes 
down  the  gorge,  the  wall  now  rising  close 
abrupt  and  high,  on  either  hand,  and  7  8-10 
miles  from  St.  Mary's  we  arrive  at  and 
pass 

Woleott's — an  unimportant  station. 
Down,  down  we  go — the  rough  spurs 
point  out  from  either  wall  of  the  canyon, 
an  indenture  in  one  bank  marking  a  pro- 
jection on  the  other.  While  looking  on 
this  scene,  one  cannot  help  fancying  that 
one  time  this  chasm  was  not;  that  some 
fearful  convulsion  of  nature  rent  the 
mighty  rocks  in  twain,  leaving  these  rag- 
ged walls  and  fetid  pools  to  attest  the  fact. 
Suddenly  we  whirl  out  of  the  mouth  of 
this  chasm — out  on  the  level  lands  of  the 
North  Platte  River — cross  a  substantial 
wooden  bridge,  and  slop  at 

Fort  Fred.  Steele— 5  9-10  miles 
west  of  Wolcot's ;  elevfttion,  6,840  feet. 

This  fort  was  established  June  30th, 
1868,  by  four  companies  of  the  30th  In- 
fantry, under  command  of  Brevet  Col.  R. 
I.  Dodge,  Major  30th  Infantry.  Wlien  the 
posts  in  the  Powder  River  country  were 
abandoned,  the  great  bulk  of  the  military 
stores  were  hauled  to  this  place  and  stored 
for  future  use. 

About,  two  miles  west  of  Fort  Steele 
formerly  stood 

Benton  City — now  entirely  abandoned. 
The  road  was  completed  to  this  point  the 
last  of  July,  1868.  At  that  time  a  large 
amount  of  freight  for  Montana,  Idaho, 
Utah,  and  the  western  country  was  re- 
shipped  in  wagons  at  this  point,  and  dur- 
ing August  and  September  the  place  pre- 
sented a  lively  aspect,  which  continued 
until  the  road  was  finished  to  Bryan,  the 
first  of  October.  Benton  at  that  time  was 
composed  of  canvas  tents ;  about  3,000  peo- 
ple of  all  kinds  made  the  population ;  a 
harder  set  it  would  be  impossible  to  find- 
roughs,  thieves,  petty  gamblers  (the  same 
thing),  fast  women,  and  the  usual  actrom- 
paniments  of  the  railroad  towns,  flourished 
here  in  profusion.  There  were  high  old 
times   in   Benton  then,  but  as   the   road 


stretched  away  to  the  westward,  the  people 
"packed  up  their  tents  and  stole  noiselessly 
away,"  leaving  only  a  few  old  chimneys 
and  post^holes  to  mark  the  spot  of  the  once 
flourishing  town.  Whiskey  was  the  prin- 
cipal drink  of  the  citizens,  it  being  the 
most  convenient,  as  all  the  water  used  had 
to  be  hauled  from  the  Platte  River,  two 
miles  distant,  at  an  expense  of  one  dollar 
per  barrel,  or  ten  cents  per  bucket-full. 

At  Benton,  the  bluffs  which  mark  the 
entrance  to  the  canyon  of  the  Platte  near 
Fort  Steele,  are  plainlv  visible  and  will 
continue  in  sight  until  we  near  Rawlins. 
They  are  of  gray  sandstone,  worn,  marked 
by  the  waters  or  by  the  elements,  far  up 
their  perpendicular  sides.  They  are  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  river,  the  banks  on  the 
west  side  being  comparatively  low. 

At  this  point  the  river  makes  a  bend,  and 
for  several  miles  we  seem  to  be  running 
down  the  river,  parallel  with  it,  though 
really  drawing  away  fi  om  the  stream. 

To  the  south  is  a  long,  high  ridge  of 
grey  granite,  called  the  "  Hog  Back."  It 
is  about  four  miles  away  from  the  road, 
and  runs  parallel  with  it  for  about  15 
miles,  terminating  in  the  highlands  of 
Rawlins  Springs.  It  is  very  narrow  at  the 
base,  not  exceeding  half-a-mile  in  width, 
yet  it  rises  from  1,000  to  3,000  feet  high. 
The  ridge  is  so  sharp  that  cattle  cannot  be 
driven  across  it,  and  in  many  places  it  is 
all  but  impracticable  for  a  mauto^attempt  to 
walk  along  its  summit.  Where  thia.ridge 
reaches  the  river  bank,  about  two  and  a 
half  miles  above  the  bridge,  the  walls  are 
perpendicular  and  very  high,  from  1,000  to 
1,500  feet.  A  corresponding  bluff"  on  the 
opposite  side  shows  that  the  river  has  cut  a 
channel  through  this  ridge,  which  at  one 
time  barred  the  progress  of  the  waters. 

On  the  south  side  of  the  ridge  is  a  very 
prqtty  little  valley,  through  which  flows  a 
small  creek  into  the  Platte.  It  furnishes 
fine  grazing,  and  is  in  marked  contrast  to 
the  surrounding  country. 

Many  years  ago  this  green  and  peaceful 
looking  vale  was  the  scene  of  a  fearful  bat- 
tle between  the  Sioux  and  their  inveterate 
enemies,  the  Utes.  The  Sioux  were  encamped 
in  the  valley,  and  were  surprised  by  the 
Utes,  who  stole  on  them  in  the  grey  light 
of  the  morning,  and  attacked  them  furi- 
ously. Though  taken  by  surprise,  the 
Sioux  fought  bravely,  but  -were  surrounded 
and  overpowered.  When  trying  to  escape, 
they  essayed  to  cross  the  "  Hog  Back," 
but  every  one  who  raised  his  head  above 


wm 


,%    Vvv.\',.</ 


AND    PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


67 


the  crest  was  picked  off  instantly.  A  por- 
tion of  the  band  escaped  in  another  direc- 
tion, leaving  their  dead  comrades  on  the 
field.  The  Sioux  were  so  badly  whipped 
that  from  that  time  forward  they  have  had 
little  use  for  the  Utes. 

North  Platte  River— We  gave  a 
short  description  of  this  river  from  where 
we  first  crossed  it,  near  North  Platte  City, 
to  Fort  Steele,  so  we  will  now  trace  it  from 
this  station  to  its  source. 

From  Fort  Steele  to  the  head  waters  of 
the  Platte  is  about  150  to  200  miles.  It 
rises  in  the  mountains  of  the  North  Park, 
its  waters  being  supi^lied  by  many  tributa- 
ries, which,  at  present,  are  mostly  nameless. 
The  course  of  the  river,  from  its  source  to 
this  point,  is  nearly  due  north. 

About  twenty-five  miles  above  the  fort, 
is  the  Platte  Ferry,  on  the  old  overland 
stage  road. 

Good  bottom  lands  are  found  along  the 
stream  at  intervals.  About  100  miles  fur- 
ther up,  the  tributaries  of  the  river  begin 
to  empty  their  waters  into  the  main  stream, 
and  the  timber  land  commences. 

Douglas  Creek  and  French  Creek  are 
tributaries  of  the  Platte,  and  run  through 
heavy  timbered  valleys.  Gold  mines  and 
gulch  diggings  were 
discovered  here,  but  not 
prospected  to  any  great 
extent.  On  the  west  side 
of  the  river,  Monument 
and  Big  creeks  empty 
their  waters  into  the 
PlattCj  nearly  opposite 
the  creeks  first  named. 

Big  Creek  rises  in  a 
beautiful  lake,  about 
three  miles  long  by  half 
a  mile  wide.  A  half- 
mile  above  this  lies 
another  lake,  but  little 
smaller.  This  ground 
is  disputed  territory  be- 
tween the  Sioux  and 
Utes,  rendering  it  very 
unsafe  for  small  parties. 

Eight  miles  from 
Douglas  Creek  coal  is 
found  in  abundance, 
and  farther  on,  fine- 
looking  quartz  veins 
crop  out  on  the  hillside. 
Near  here  are  sulphur 
springs,  seven  in  num- 
ber, and  very  hot; 
while,    along    si<le    of 


them  rises  a  clear,  sparkling  spring  of 
ice-cold  water,  and  we  opine  that  the 
time  is  not  far  distant  when  these  springs 
will  be  taken  up,  a  narrow  gauge  railroad 
laid  down,  hotels  built,  and  one  of  the 
finest  "  watering  places  "  in  the  world 
opened  to  the  public. 

Fish  of  many  kinds,  and  beavers,  are 
abundant  in  the  streams;  the  beavers 
erecting  dams  often  six  feet  high.  The 
mountains  and  forests  are  full  of  game,  and 
in  them  and  the  open  valleys  can  be  found 
elk,  deer,  antelope,  bears,  mountain  sheep 
and  lions,  and,  occasionally,  the  bison  or 
mountain  buftalo. 

The  forests  are  dense  and  large  in  extent; 
from  which,  during  the  building  of  the 
road,  large  quantities  of  ties  were  cut  and 
floated  down  the  river  to  Fort  Steele.  The 
valleys  are  fertile  and  large,  and  all  in  all, 
it  is  a  grand,  wild  country,  where  the  tour- 
ist could  emoy^  life  to  his  heart's  content, 
in  hunting,  fishing,  outfighting  the  Indians. 

OrennTille — is  a  small  side-track 
station  eight  miles  west  of  Fort  Steele,  and 
it  is  seven  miles  further  to 

Ramrlins— (usually  called  Pawling 
Springs).  This  place  contains  a  population 
of  about  800.      The    Railroad  Company 


SNOW   GALLERIES,   SIERRA  NEVADA   MOUNTAINS. 


68 


CROFUTT'S    NEW   OVERLAND    TOURIST 


have  built  here  a  fine  hotel,  a  round-house 
of  20  stalls,  and  machine-shops  for  division 
repairs.  The  Railroad  Company  employ 
V60  men. 

The  surrounding  country  is  rough  and 
broken,  covered  with  sage-brush  and 
flecked  with  alkali.  Close  above  the  town 
a  fine  sulphur  spring  rises  from  under  the 
bed  of  blue  limestone,  and  other  springs 
arise  from  the  surface  of  a  narrow,  wet 
ravine,  which  extends  about  a  mile  above 
the  town.  The  bed  of  the  ravine,  as  far  as 
the  water  extends,  is  white  with  alkali, 
where  the  pools  of  stagnant  water  do  not 
cover  it. 

From  30  to  40  miles  to  the  northeast  of 
this  station,  are  located  the  Ferris  and 
Seminole  mining  districts.  The  ore  is  sil- 
ver, and  said  by  some  people  to  be 
rich.  Several  mills  were  erected  some 
years  ago,  but  the  ore  proved  refrac- 
tory and  little  has  been  done.  Stages 
leave  Rawlins  tri-weekly  for  Meeker 
—150  miles  distant. 

Rawlins  is  the  county  seat  of  Carbon 
county,  and  was  named  in  honor  of  Gen'l 
J.  A.  Rawlins.  The  principal  business  in 
which  the  citizens  are  engaged  is  stock 
raising  and  mining. 

Two  miles  north  of  the  station  a  paint 
mine  has  been  discovered,  which  prospects 
now  to  be  very  valuable.  It  is  said  to  be 
fire-and-water  proof.  Two  mills  have  been 
erected  at  the  station  for  grinding  the  paint, 
with  a  daily  capacity  of  three  and  ten  tons 
respectively.  The  Union  Pacific  Railroad 
Company  are  using  it  to  paint  their  cars. 

Leaving  Rawlins,  we  follow  up  the  nar- 
row ravine  spoken  of,  through  a  natural 
pass  about  300  feet  wide,  which  leads  be- 
tween two  nearly  perpendicular  blufis  over 
200  feet  in  height,  composed  Qf  yellowish 
gray  quartzose  sandstone,  overlaid  with 
carboniferous  limestone.  This  bluflf  ap- 
pears to  have  extended  across  the  ravine 
sometime  in  the  past.  Perhaps  a  large 
lake  was  imprisoned  above,  which  kindly 
burst  these  huge  walls,  and  left  a  natural 
route  for  the  railroad. 

Beyond  the  pass  we  follow  up  this  dry 
lake  bed  6  5-10  miles  through  a  sage-brush 
and  alkali  country  to 

Solon— a  small  station  where  the 
passenger  trains  do  not  stop,  and  6  6-10 
miles  further  arrive  at 

iS^eparation — This  station  derives  its 
name Trom  the  fact  that  at  this  place  the 
various  parties  of  surveyors  who  had  been 
together  or  near  each  other  for  the  last 


hundred  miles,  separated  to  run  difiierent 
lines  to  the  westward;  elevation,  6,900  feet. 
We  are  rapidly  rising,  and  15  miles  fur- 
ther will  be  on  the  summit  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains. 

Artesian  wells  are  quite  numerous  along 
the  line,  most  of  them  having  been  finished 
within  the  past  five  years.  They  are  from 
326  feet  to  1,145  feet  in  depth,  flowing 
from  400  to  1,000  gallons  an  hour,  in  one 
place  26  feet  above  the  surface.  By  pumping, 
these  wells  will  supply  from  650  to  2,4(X) 
gallons  of  water  per  hour.  The  one  at  this 
station  is  1,103  feet  deep,  in  which  the 
water  stands  10  feet  from  the  surface,  and 
by  pumping  yields  2,000  gallons  per  hour. 

i^^illmore— is  another  station  where 
the  cars  do  not  stop.  It  is  8  3-10  miles 
west  from  Separation,  and  six  miles 
from 

^'reston— Sage-brush  and  alkali  beds 
are  the  rule  now,  and  have  be^n  for  the 
last  25  miles,  and  will  be  for  the  next  100 
miles.  We  are  now  near  the  summit  of 
the  great  "  back-bone  "  of  the  continent — 
the  Rocky  Mountains — just  7,030  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea. 
Two  and  a  half  miles  west  of  this  point 
a  sign-board  has  been  erected  on  the 
right  of  the  road,  bearing  the  words : 

"CONTINENTAL  DIVIDE," 
and  marks  the  summit  7,100  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea.    This  point  is  about  185 
miles  from  Sherman,  737  from  Omaha,  and 
from  San  Francisco,  1,177. 

On  this  wild  spot,  surrounded  by  few 
.e\  idences  of  vegetation — and  those  of  the 
niwst  primitive  form— this  little signmarks 
tbecenter  of  the  grandest  range  of  moun- 
tains on  the  continent.  Amid  what  seems 
to  have  been  the  wreck  of  mountains,  we 
stand  and  gaze  away  in  the  vast  distance 
at  the  receding  lines  of  hill,  valley  and 
mountain  peaks,  which  we  have  passed  in 
our  journey.  We  feel  the  cool  mountain 
breeze  on  our  cheeks,  but  it  brings  no  aroma 
of  life  and  vegetation  with  its  cooling  cur- 
rent. We  feel  and  know  that  the  same 
sky  which  han2:s  so  warm  and  blue  over 
the  smiling  valleys,  looks  down  upon  us 
now — but  how  changed  the  aspect;  thin, 
gray  and  cold  it  appears,  and  so  clear  that 
we  almost  expect  to  see  the  stars  looking 
down  through  the  glistening  sunbeams. 
We  do  not  seem  to  be  on  the  mountain 
height,  for  the  expanse  seems  but  a  once 
level  plain,  now  arched  and  broken  into 
ugly,  repulsive  hollows  and  desolate  knobs. 

Here,  if  a  spring  should  rise  from  this 


AND    PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


69 


Foundation  of  Temple. 


VIEW   OF   SALT   LAKE  CITY,  LOOKING  SOUTHWEST. 


sage-brush  knoll,  its  waters  would  divide, 
and  the  diflferent  portions  eventually  min- 
gle with  the  two  oceans  which  wash  the 
opposite  sides  of  the  continent.  We  enter 
the  cars  and  pass  on,  the  track  seeming  to 
be  lost  but  a  short  distance  in  our  front. 
The  view  from  the  rear  of  the  car  is  the 
same.  The  track  seems  to  be  warped  up 
and  doubled  out  of  sight.  The  curvature 
of  this  backbone  gives  the  track  a  similar 
appearance  to  that  witnessed  at  Sherman. 
Although  much  higher  at  Sherman,  still 


To  be  ''dead  broke,"  or  out  of  money,  is 
cap,"  "  on  the  bed  rock,"  etc. 


in  the 


this  is  the  continental  divide,  but  the  low, 
broad  pass  brings  us  1,213  feet  below  that 
place.  To  the  north,  the  Seminole  moun- 
tains rear  their  rugged  heights,  and  farther 
on,  and  more  to  the  westward,  can  be  seen 
the  long  lines  and  gray  peaks  of  the 
Sweetwater  Range.  Still  farther  to  the 
west  and  north,  the  Wind  River  Moun- 
tains close  the  scene  in  the  dim  distance, 
their  summits  robed  in  snow.  Away  to 
the  south  can  be  seen  the  hills  which  form 
the  southern  boundary  of  the  pass,  near 


"  Shooting  his  mouth  off,' 
fiaiit  or  foul  language. 


for  one  to  use  de- 


7,0 


crofutt's  new  overland  tourist 


by  where  the  Bridger  Pass  Station  is  situ- 
ated on  the  old  overland  stage  road. 

With  a  last  look  at  this  rugged,  barren, 
desolate  region,  we  speed  away  over  the 
crest,  and  shall  have  down  grade  for  the 
next  108  miles,  descending  in  that  distance 
1,110  feet. 

liatham— is  reached  7.3  miles  west, 
but  our  train  does  not  stop ;  and  7  6-10 
miles  more  brings  to 

Wash-a-kie— named  after  an  old 
/Chief  of  the  Shoshcme  Indians,  who 
has  always  been  friendly  with  the 
twhites.  At  this  place  is  another 
Wtesian  well,  638  feet  deep,  which,  at 
'15  feet  above  the  surface,  flows  800 
jgallons  of  pure  water  per  hour. 

Red  Desert— is  96-10  miles  from 
Wash-a-kie.  The  country  around  here  is 
called  the  Red  Desert,  from  the  color  of  the 
barren  soil.  It  is  a  huge  basin,  its  waters 
having  no  outlet.  Several  alkali  lakes  are 
found  in  it,  but  nothing  lives  on  its  surface. 
'J  he  soil  is  bad  between  Table  Rock  and 
Creston,  the  extreme  points  of  the  desert, 
38  miles  apart.  It  is  composed  of  the  de- 
<  omposition  of  shale  and  calcareous  clays, 
and  is  deep  red,  showing  the  presence  of 
an  hydrous  sesquioxide  of  iron.  The 
southern  margin  of  the  basin  is  mainly 
sand,  which  is  lifted  up  by  every  passing 
breeze  to  fall  in  drifts  and  shifting 
mounds. 

Tipton— a  side-track,  where  our  train 
does  not  stop,  is  6 1-10  miles  west  of  Red 
Desert,  and  64-10  miles  further,  the  train 
win  stop  at 

Table  Bock — This  station  is  on  the 
outer  edge  of  the  desert,  which  has  an  ele- 
vation of  6,890  feet.  Off  to  the  left  can 
be  seen  a  long  line  of  bluffs,  rising  from 
50  to  500  feet  above  the  surrounding  coun- 
try. They  are  of  red  sandstone,  which  is 
mainly  composed  of  freshwater  shells, 
worn,  cut,  and  fluted  by  the  action  of  the 
elements.  One  of  these  bluffs,  which 
gives  its  name  to  the  station,  is  level  on 
the  top,  which  rises  about  500  feet  above 
the  road,  and  extends  for  several  miles. 
Heavy  cuts  and  fills  are  found  here,  show- 
ing that  the  road  is  passing  through  the 
rim  of  the  desert.  After  passing  through 
this  rim,  and  by  the  side-track,  called 

Monell — we  go  on,  through  a  rough 
and  broken  country  for  ten  miles,  when 
we  arrive  at  a  station  called 

Bitter  Creek— At  this  place  the 
company  have  a  ten-stall  round-house, 
and  a  machine  shop,  for  repairs. 


As  we  leave  this  station,  we  begin  the 
descent  of  the  celebrated  Bitter  Creek, 
the  valley  of  which  we  shall  follow  to 
Green  River,  about  60  miles  west.  The 
valley  is  narrow,  the  bluffs  coming  near 
the  creek  on  either  side.  The  stream  is 
small  and  so  strongly  impregnated  with 
alkali  as  to  be  almost  useless  for  man  or 
beast.  The  banks  and  bottoms  are  very 
treacherous  in  places,  miring  any  cattle 
which  attempt  to  reach  its  fetid  waters. 
This  section  was  alwa^^s  a  terror  to  travel- 
ers, emigrants  and  freighters,  for  nothing 
in  the  line  of  vegetation  will  grow,  ex- 
cepting grease-wood  and  sage-brush.  The 
freighter,  especially,  who  had  safely  navi- 
gated this  section,  would  "ring  his  pop- 
per "  and  claim  that  he  was  a  "tough  cuss 
on  wheels,  from  Bitter  Creek  with  a  per- 
fect education." 

From  the  source  to  the  mouth  of  this 
stream,  every  indication  points  to  the  fact 
that  deposits  of  oil  underlie  the  surface. 
Coal  veins — -valuable  ones — -have  been 
found,  and  an  oil-bearing  shale  underlies  a 
large  portion  of  the  valley.  The  old  over- 
land stage  and  emigrant  road  follows  this 
valley  from  its  source  to  Green  River. 
From  the  bluffs,  spurs  reach  out  as  though 
they  would  like  to  meet  their  jagged 
friends  on  the  opposite  bluffs ;  and  around 
the  rough  points  the  cars  roll  merrily  on 
down,  down  to  the  Green. 

Black  Buttes — is  9 1-10 miles  down' 
the  creek. 

Ballville— an  unimportant  station  to 
the  tourist,  is  5.1  miles  from  the  Buttes, 
and  6  2-10  miles  to 

Point  of  Bocks — Here  an  artesian 
well,  1,015  feet  in  depth,  supplies  an  abun- 
dance of  pure  water. 

Extensive  coal  mines  near  this  station 
are  being  worked  by  the  Wyoming  Coal 
Company,  who  ship  as  high  as  100  car- 
loads daily.  In  one  bluff,  at  a  depth  of  80 
feet,  five  veins  of  coal  have  been  opened — 
one  upon  the  other — which  are  respectively 
one,  three,  four,  five,  and  six  and  a  half  feet 
in  thickness.  On  the  bluff,  just  above  the 
coal,  is  a  seam  of  wster-shells  six  inches  in 
thickness,  which  Hayden  says  "  is  an  ex- 
tinct and  undescribed  species,  about  the 
size  of  our  common  edible  one." 

Th6  sandstone  bluffs,  at  points  along  the 
road,  are  worn  by  the  action  of  the  elements 
into  curious,  mntastic  shapes,  some  of 
which  have  been  named  "  Caves  of  the 
Sand,"  "  Hermit's  Grotto,"  "  Water-washed 
Caves  of  the  Fairies."  "  Sanko's  Bower," 


AND  PACIFIC    COAST   GUIDE. 


71 


&c.  Prof.  Hayden,  in  his  geological  ex- 
amination of  this  section  of  the  creek,  re- 
ported finding  "  preserved  in  the  rocks  the 
greatest  abundance  of  deciduous  leaves  of 
the  poplar,  ash,  elm  and  maple."  He  says 
further:  "Among  the  plants  found  is  a 
specimen  of  fan-palm,  which,  at  the  time  it 

frew  here,  displayed  a  leaf  of  enormous 
imensions,  sometimes  having  a  spread  of 
ten  or  twelve  feet.  These  gigantic  palms 
seem  to  have  formed  a  conspicuous  feature 
among  the  trees  of  these  ancient  forests." 
Several  sulphur  and  iron  springs  are  lo- 
cated near,  but  little  attention  has  been  di- 
rected to  their  special  virtues. 

Thayer— a  small  side-track,  5  3-10 
miles  further  west,  is  passed  without  stop- 
ping, and  6  2-10  miles  more  we  arrive  at 

Salt. Wells — This,  until  coal  w^as  dis- 
covered in  quantities  on  the  creek,  was  a 
wood  station.  The  wood  was  obtained 
from  five  to  ten  miles  south,  in  the  gulches, 
where  also  could  be  found  game  in  abund- 
ance — elk,  deer,  bears,  etc. 


Baxter— is  6  7-10  miles  from  the 
Wells,  and  6  8-10  from 

Bock  Springs— This  station  was 
named  alter  a  saline  spring  of  water  which 
boils  up  out  of  the  bluffs,  looking  very  clear 
and  nice,  but  it  is  very  deceiving — an  un- 
common thing  in  this  truthful  world. 

An  artesian  well  has  been  sunk  at  this 
station,  1,145  feet  deep.  The  water  flows  to 
the  surface  at  the  rate  of  960  gallons  per 
hour,  and  at  26  feet  above  the  surface, 
flows  571  gallons  per  hour.  The  popu- 
lation of  this  place  is  500,  mostly  engaged 
in  mining  and  stock  raising.  Near  here 
are  more  rich  coal  mines. 

From  this  point  to  Green  River,  the 
scenery  becomes  more  grand  and  im- 
pressive, the  blufis  rising  higher  and  the 
gorge  narrowing,  until  the  hills  seem  to 
hang  over  the  narrow  valley  with  their 
frowning  battlements.  Through  this  gorge 
we  rattle  on  nine  miles  to 

"Wilkins — a  small  station  six  miles 
from  the  end'  Laramie  Division. 


STARVATION   CAMP,  DONNER   LAKE 


72 


CROPTJTT'S    NEW   OVERLAND   TOURIST 


Green  River — is  the  county  seat  of 

Sweetwater   county,    845    miles    west  of 

Omaha,  the  end  of  the  Laramie  and  the 

commencement  of  the  Western  Division 

fof  the  Union  Pacific  Bailway. 

The  place  is  a  regular  eating  station, 
where  passenger  trains  stop  30  minutes — 
those  from  the  East  for  breakfast,  those 
from  the  West  tor  supper.  Much  taste  is 
displayed  at  this  station  in  decorating  the 
dining  room  and  office  with  mountain  cu- 
riosities, mineral  specimens,  moss  agate 
and  horns  of  game. 

The  city  has  a  good  court-house — costing 
$35,000 ;  several  ary  goods,  grocery,  cloth- 
ing  and  other  stores ;  two  hotels,  and  about 
400  population ;  also,  a  daily  newspaper, 
the  Evening  Press.  The  Railroad  Com- 
pany has  a  round-house  of  15  stalls,  and 
machine  shops  and  repair  shops,  located 
here, which  in  the  early  years  of  the  road, 
were  at  Bryan. 


It  is  claimed  that  the  surrounding  coun- 
try is  rich  in  mines,  but  one  thing  is  cer- 
tain— it  is  rich  in  cattle;  it  has  cattle  on 
more  than  a  "  thousand  hills." 

The  bluffs  near  this  station  present  a 
peculiar  formation  called,  by  Prof.  Hay- 
den,  the  "  Green  River  Shales."  For  a 
beautiful  illustration  of  the  bluffs,  the  sta- 
tion and  the  bridge,  see  Annex  No.  16. 

The  walls  of  these  bluffs  rise  perpendic- 
ularly for  hundreds  of  feet,  are  of  a  grayish 
buff  color,  and  are  composed  of  layers,  ap- 
parently sedimentary  deposits  of  all  thick- 
nesses, from  that  of  a  knife-blade  to  two 
feet.  At  the  base  of  the  bluff  the  layers 
are  thin  and  composed  of  arenaceous  clay, 
with  laminat(id  sandstone,  mud  markings 
and  other  indications  of  shallow  water  or 
mud  flats ;  color  for  100  feet,  ashen  brown ; 
next  above  are  lighter  colored  layers,  al- 
temate    with  greenish    layers,    and    fine 


INTERIOR  VI KW  OF  SNOW  SHEDS  ON  THE  SIERRA  NEVADA  MOUNTAINS. 


AND    PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


73 


CROSSING  TRUCKEE  RIVER,  C. 


white  sand.  Passing  up,  clay  and  lime 
predominate,  then  come  layers  of  bould- 
ers, pebbles,  and  small  nodules. 

There  are  also  seams  of  very  fine  black 
limestone,  saturated  with  petroleum.  Near 
the  summit,  under  the  shallow,  calcareous 
sandstone,  there  are  over  fifty  feet  of  shales 
that  contain  more  or  less  of  oily  material. 
The  hills  all  around  are  capped  with  a 
deep,  rusty  yellow  sandstone,  which  pre- 
sents the  peculiar  castellated  forms  which, 
with  the  banded  appearance,  have  given 
so  much  celebrity  to  the  scenery  about 
this  station. 

The  point  where  our  photographer 
stood  to  take  the  picture,  was  about  one- 
half  mile  below  the  bridge  and  immedi- 
ately opposite  the  mouth  of  the  noted 
Bitter  Creek,  down  which,  in  years  past, 
rolled  the  wagons  of  the  pioneer-emigrants 
of  the  far  West,  on  their  weary  way 
seeking  new  El  Dora^oes  towards  the  set- 
ting sun. 


Old  Town — A  short  distance  from  the 
station  to  the  southward  is  the  site  of  the 
old  deserted  city  of  Green  River,  near  the 
old  emigrant  crossing,  and  thereby  hangs 
a  tale.  This  city  was  laid  out  in  July, 
1868,  and  the  September  following  con- 
tained 2,000  inhabitants,  and  many  sub- 
stantial wood  and  adobe  buildings,  and 
presented  a  permanent  appearance.  At 
that  time  it  was  thought  by  the  citizens 
that  the  Railroad  Company  would  certainly 
erect  theii  division  buildings  near  the  town, 
and  it  would  become  an  important  station 
in  consequence.  But  the  Railroad  Com- 
pany opposed  the  Town  Company,  bridged 
the  river,  and  as  the  road  stretched  away 
to  the  westward,  the  town  declined  as  rap- 
idly as  it  arose,  the  people  moving  on  to 
Bryan,  at  which  place  the  Railroad  Com- 
l^any  located  tUeif  city — and  sold  lots. 

Geographical  indications  from  the  first 
pointed  to  the  fact  that  the  Railroad  Com- 
pany must  eventually  select  this  place  in 


u 


CKOFUTT  S   NEW    OVERLAND   TOURIST 


preference  to  Biyan,  which  is  now  an  ac- 
complished fact. 

Twenty  Years  Ago  an  important 
trading  post  was  located  near  this  station 
just  below,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river.  In  early  days,  the  Mormons  had  a 
ferry  here,  and  a  i  the  river  was  seldom 
fordable — except  late  in  the  fall — they 
reaped  a  rich  harvest  of  from  $5  to  $20  a 
team  for  crossing  them  over  the  river,  ac- 
cording as  the  owners  were  found  able  to 
pay.  Those  times  were  comparatively 
only  yesterday,  and  we  might  say  with  the 
juggler  "  Presto  !  "  and  we  have  the  "  iron 
horse,"  and  the  long  trains  of  magnificent 
palace  cars,  crossing  the  substantial  rail- 
road bridge,  conveying  their  hundreds  of 
passengers  daily — passengers  from  every 
land  and  clime — and  whirling  them  across 
the  continent  from  ocean  to  ocean,  on 
schedule  time.  Do  these  passengers,  while 
partaking  of  a  princely  meal,  lying  at  ease 
sipping  their  wine,  (or  pombli/  ice  water,) 
and  smoking  quietly  their  cigar,  ever 
think  of  the  hardy  pioneers  who  toiled 
along  on  foot  and  alone,  many  times  over 
8eve?i  months  traveling  the  same  distance 
that  can  now  be  made  in  five  days  1  These 
pioneers  suffered  every  hind  of  hardship, 
many  even  unto  death,  and  those  that  re- 
main are  fast  passing  away.  Yet,  the 
fruits  of  their  adventurous  and  daring  in- 
trepidity can  be  seen  on  every  hand. 

Green  River — This  stream  rises  in 
the  northwest  portion  of  the  Wind  River 
Mountains,  at  the  base  of  Fremont's  I'eak. 
The  source  of  the  river  is  found  in  innu- 
merable little  streams,  about  200  miles 
from  the  railroad  crossing.  About  150 
miles  below  the  station  the  river  empties 
into  the  Colorado  River.  The  name 
"  Green  River "  implies  the  color  of  the 
water,  but  one  would  hardly  expect  to  be- 
hold a  large,  rapid  river,  whose  waters 
possess  so  deep  a  hue.  The  river,  for  some 
distance  up  the  stream,  commencing  about 
fifty  miles  above  the  station,  runs  through 
a  soil  composed  of  decomposed  rock, 
slate,  etc.,  which  is  very  green,  and  easily 
washed  and  worn  away,  which  accounts 
for  the  color  of  the  water.  At  all  seasons 
of  the  year  the  water  is  very  good — the 
best,  by  far,  of  any  found  in  this  part  of 
the  country.  The  tributaries  abound  in 
trout  of  fine  flavor,  and  the  main 
river  is  well  stocked  with  the  finny  tribe. 
Game  of  all  kinds  abound  along  the  river 
and  in  the  adjacent  mountains. 

Fontenelle  Creek  comes  into  Green  River 


40  miles  north,  and  is  specially  noted  for 
game,  trout,  etc. 

The  lower  stream  presents  a  veiy  marked 
feature,  aside  from  the  high  blufls  of  worn 
sandstone  besides  sedimentary  deposits. 
These  features  are  strongly  marked,  above 
the  bridge,  for  several  miles. 

From  Green  River  station,  the  first  ex* 
ploring  expedition  of  Maj.  Powell  started 
on  the  24th  of  May,  1869.  The  party  con- 
sisted of  about  a  dozen  well-armed,  intrepid 
men,  mostly  Western  hunters.  They  had 
four  well-built  boats,  with  which  to  explore 
the  mysterious  and  terrible  canyons  of 
Green  River  and  the  Colorado.  These 
gorges  were  comparatively  unknown,  the 
abrupt  mountain  walls  having  turned  the 
travel  far  from  their  sterile  shores.  Sci- 
ence and  commijfce  demanded  a  solution 
of  the  question:  ''Can  the  upper  Colorado 
be  navigated?"  and  Maj.  Powell  under- 
took  to  solve  the  problem. 

The  party  eni '.ountered  hardships,  dis- 
covered beautifuV  scenery,  and  in  their  re- 
port have  thrown  much  light  on  the  mys- 
teries of  this  heretofore  not  much  traveled 
country.  The  result  of  the  expedition  af- 
forded the  Major  the  materials  for  a  course 
of  lectures,  and  demonstrated  the  impor- 
tant fact  that  the  Colorado  canyon  is  not 
navigable. 

We  hear  that  the  Major  has,  since  the 
above,  made  an  expedition  to  the  river,  but 
are  not  informed  as  to  the  results. 

A  wagon  road  leads  north,  up  the  east 
side  of  the  river,  over  which  a  stage  runs 
regularly  to  the 

Sweetwater  Country — ^The  principal 
cities  are  South  Pass,  Atlantic  and  Hamil- 
ton. They  are  situated  four  miles  apart. 
The  principal  occupation  of  the  citizens  is 
quartz  gold  mining.  Many  of  the  tnines 
are  saicf  to  be  very  rich,  but  for  some  rea- 
son very  unprofitable  to  work.  The  prin- 
cipal mines  are  on  Sweetwater  River,  a  trib- 
utary of  Wind  River,  which  passes  through 
very  rich  minferal  and  agricultural  coun- 
try. 

Wind  River  is  a  tributary  of  the  Big 
Horn  River,  which  empties  into  the  Yel- 
lowstone. The  streams  abound  in  fish,  in- 
cluding trout  of  excellent  flavor.  The 
valleys  and  mountains  furnish  game  in 
abundance,  including  deer,  elk,  antelope, 
mountain  sheep,  buffalo,  cinnamon,  brown, 
black  and  grizzly  bears. 

Indian  difllculties  have  retarded  min- 
ing, agricultural,  and  business  operations 
very  much  in  the  past. 


AND   PACIFIC   COAST   GUIDE. 


75 


to  Bryan,  Septem- 
ber, 1868,  and  large 
amounts  of  freight 
was  delivered  here  to 
be  re-shipped  to  the 
westward.  From  this 
station  to  the  north- 
ward, it  is  80  miles 
to  the  Pacific  Springs 
on  the  old  "  California 
trail,"  and  90  miles 
to  Sweetwater. 

At  one  time  stages 
left  this  station  for  the 
Sweetwater  country, 
but  they  have  been 
transferred  to  Green 
River  station.  Freight 
for  the  Government 
posts,  and  country  to 
the  northward,  Atlan- 
tic City,  South  Pass, 
&c.,  is  hauled  from 
this  station  by  wagon 
teams  as  of  old. 

Bryan,  during  its 
early  days,  was  quite 
lively,  and  troubled 
with  the  usual  number 


BURNING   ROCK   CUT,  NEAR   GREEN    RIVER. 


Leaving  the  station, 
we  cross  Green  Rivei- 
on  a  fine  bridge,  the 
cars  passing  along 
through  heavy  cuts, 
almost  over  the  river 
in  places,  aflfording  a 
fine  view  of  the  frown- 
ing clifis  on  the  east 
side  of  the  river. 
Twenty  miles  to  the 
northwest  a  large  bar- 
ren butte,  pilot-knob, 
stands  in  isolated 
loneliness.  Soon  we 
turn  to  the  left,  leav- 
ing  the  river,  and  pass 

Peru— in  8  miles 
—and  in  five  miles 
more,  arrive  at 

Bryan— a  desert- 
ed  old  station.  The 
country  around  is  bar- 
ren,  composed  of  red 
sand,  and  uninviting 
in  the  extreme.  We 
are  again  increasing 
our  elevation.  The 
road    was    completed 


devil's    gate,  WEBER  CANYON,   U.  P    R.  R. 


76 


crofutt's  new  overland  tourist 


of  roughs,  gamblers  and  desperadoes. 
When  the  Vigilance  Committee  was  in 
session  here,  in  1868,  they  waited  on  a 
noted  desperado,  and  gave  him  15  minutes 
to  leave  town.  He  mounted  his  mule  and 
said:  ^'Gentlemen,  if  this  d — m  mule  don't 
buck,  I  don't  want  but  five."  We  com- 
mend his  judgment,  and  consider  that  for 
once  *'  his  Jiead  was  levels 

Black's  Fork  is  approached  at  this 
station.  It  rises  in  the  Uintah  Mountains, 
about  100  miles  to  the  southwest,  and  emp- 
ties into  Green  River,  below  Green  River 
City.  The  bottom  lands  of  this  river,  for 
fifty  miles  above  Bryan,  are  susceptible  of 
irrigation,  and  are  thought  to  be  capable 
of  raising  small  grains. 

Mansion — is  an  unimportant  station, 
7.6  miles  from  Bryan.  Soon  after  passing 
the  station,  to  the  northward,  the  old  Mor- 
mon trail  from  Johnson's  Ford  on  Green 
River,  12  miles  above  Green  River  station, 
can  be  seen  coming  down  a  ravine.  The 
route  is  marked  for  some  distance  by  a 
line  of  telegraph  poles  which  leads  to 
Sweetwater. 

Soon  after  leaving  this  station,  a  fine 
view  can  be  had  to  the  left,  south, of  the 
Uintah  range  of  mountains.  The  valley 
of  the  Beaver  lays  at  the  northern  base  of 
the  ran^e,  and  is  one  of  the  most  produc- 
tive sections  01  the  territory ;  corn,  potatoes, 
vegetables,  and  small  grain  grow  and  yield 
abundantly.  Beaver  Creek,  which  flows 
through  the  valley,  was  named  for  the 
beavers  that  inhabit  the  creek. 

As  early  as  1825,  Beaver  Creek  was 
known  to  Bridger  and  other  trappers  of 
the  American  Fur  Co;  in  after  years,  it 
became  the  headquarters — for  years  at  a 
time— of  Jim  Bridger  and  other  trappers. 
Since  trapping  beaver  has  been  aban- 
doned the  increase  in  Beaver  Creek  has  been 
wonderful.  Immense  dams  are  here  to  be 
seen,  from  four  to  six  feet  high,  which 
flood  many  thousand  acres? 

The  streams  of  this  section  not  only 
abound  in  beaver,  but  in  fish— the  trout 
iere  being  abundant. 

Beyond  the  Uintah  Range  is  the  Great 
ValleyofWhite  Earth  River,  where  is  lo- 
cated the  Ute  Reservation. 

Cjt  ranger  — is  9.6  miles  west  of 
Marston.  The  last  seven  and  a  half 
miles  of  track  before  reaching  this  station 
Tvas  laid  down  by  Jack  Caseman  in  one 
day.  The  station  is  named  for  an  old  set 
tier,  Mr.  Granger,  who  keeps  a  ranche 
near  by. 


ham's  Fork— which  we  cross  near 
the  station — rises  about  forty  miles  to 
the  northwest,  in  Hodge's  Pass.  The 
bottom  lands  of  this  stream  are  very 
productive  of  grass ;  the  upper  por- 
tion of  the  valleys,  near  the  moun- 
tains, produce  excellent  hay-crops. 
Up  this  "Fork"  is  building  the 
Oregon  l^hori  Line, 
— broa^  gauge— a  branch  of  the  Union 
Pacific.  The  first  survey  was  made  in 
1876,  but  active  work  of  building  only 
commenced  in  1881.  The  road  had,  at 
the  close  of  theyear,  150  miles  of  steel 
rails  laid,  and  its  construction's  i^ush- 
ed  vigorously.  The  line  pierces  the 
Uintah  range  by  a  long  tunnel,  pene- 
trates a  region  abounding  in  coal,  and 
in  close  proximity  to  the  celebrated 
soda  springs  of  Idaho,  and  connects 
with  the  Utah  &  Northern  branch  at 
Pocotello,  156  miles  north  from  Ogden, 
Utah.  Working  parties  are  now  en- 
gaged on  the  line  as  far  west  as  Boise 
City,  and  on  a  line  branching  off  to 
the  westward  of  Blackfoot,  for  Salina, 
in  the  Wood  River  country. 

After  crossing  the  bridge  we  leave 
Black's  Fork  and  the  old  stage  road, 
which  bears  away  to  the  left,  to  Fort 
Bridger,  while  our  course  is  due  west, 
up  the  Bio  Muddy,  which  we  cross  and 
recross  repeatedly  before  reaching 
Piedmont,  50  miles  distant.  The  valley 
of  the  stream  is  narrow,  producing 
only  sage-  and  grease-wood. 
Dnnrch  Battes— is  situated  on  Big 
Muddycreek,  just  east  of  the  crossing. 
The  station  is  10.5  miles  from  Gran- 
ger's, a  noted  place  for  moss  agates. 
These  beautiful  stones  are  found 
along  the  line  of  the  road  from  Green 
River  to  Piedmont ;  in  some  places  the 
ground  is  literally  paved  with  these 
gems,  varying  in  size  from  a  pea  to 
about  five  inches  in  diameter.  The 
outside  is  a  dark  gray  and  a  greenish 
blue  in  spots.  Should  the  reader  con- 
clude to  stop  over  and  hunt  moss  ag- 
ates, our  advise  would  be :  take  your 
time  and  a  hammer  with  you,  crack  the 
rocks  and  pebbles  beneath  your  feet; 
and  when  youJfind  one  of  the  agates, 
if  it  looks  dull  and  rusty,  do  not  throw 
it  away  in  hopes  of  finding  a  prettier 
one,  for  often  the  dull-looking  stone, 
when  cut  and  dressed,  is  very  beauti- 
ful and  valuable;  but  most  of  the 
agates  are  valueless. 


AND    PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


77 


Church  Buttes  station 
derives  its  name  from 
the  peculiar  formation  of 
the  sand  -  stone  bluffs, 
which  extend  for  many 
miles  on  the  left-hand  side 
of  the  road;  they  are 
about  ten  miles  distant. 
At  the  Old  Church  Buttes 
station,  on  the  old  over- 
land stage  road," — about 
nine  miles  to  the  south 
they  rise  in  lofty  domes 
and  pinnacles,  which,  at  a 
distance,  resemble  the  flut- 
ed columns  of  some  cath- 
edral of  the  olden  time, 
standing  in  the  midst  of 
desolation;  its  lofty  tur- 
reted  roof  and  towering 
spires  rising  far  above 
the  surrounding  country; 
but  on  nearer  approach 
the  scene  changes,  and 
we  find  a  huge  mass 
of  sandstone,  worn  and 
washed  by  the  elements 
until  it  has  assumed  the 
outline  of  a  church  of  the 
grandest  dimensions,  it 
being  visible  for  a  great 
distance.  Again  we  go 
westward  6.  9  miles  to 


JAMES  BRIDGER — Sae  following  pag«. 


Hampton — a  side  track,  with  cattle 
pens  and  suute  for  loading  them — large 
herds  of  which  range  in  this  section,  on  the 
hills  and  in  the  adjacent  valleys. 

To  the  left,  aft. r  leaving  the  station,  we 
see  high  buttes  of  all  fantastic  shapes, 
showing  water  lines,  which  indicate  that 
there  has  been  "high  water"  here  some 
time  in  the  past. 

Carter — is  10  miles  from  the  last 
station.  About  seven  miles  north,  a  large 
sulphur  spring,  and  near  it  a  calybeta 
spring  has  been  discovered,  and  about 
fourteen  miles  further  a  mountain  of  coal ; 
the  total  thickness  of  the  veins  is  87  feet, 
traceable  for  twelve  miles.  A  branch  rail- 
road is  contemplated  to  the  coal  bank,  via 
the  springs. 

This  station  is  named  for  Judge  Carter,  of 
Bridgei:.  This  gentleman  has  a  large  ware- 
house at  this  point,  where  freight  until  re- 
cently, was  received  and  shipped  to  Vir- 
ginia City,  Helena,  and  Bannock  City, 
Montana  Territory.  This  route  was  the 
shortest  wagon  route  from  the  East,  until  the 
building  of  the  Utah  and  Northern. 


The  series  of  buttes  that  has  been  ob- 
served on  our  left  below,  continues,  but 
are  more  of  a  uniform  height — table-topped, 
with  scrub  cedars  in  the  gulches  and 
ravines.  Some  of  these  buttes  look  like 
immense  railroad  dumps,  as  they  jet  out 
into  the  valley,  round  and  steep. 

On  the  right,  the  soil  is  red-clay,  with 
some  rocks  of  the  same  color. 

Fort  Bridger— is  ten  miles  east  from 
this  station,  over  the  bluffs,  out  of  sight, 
having  been  established  in  1858,  by  General 
A.  S.  Johnson,  latitude  41  deg.  18  min.  and 
12  sec. ;  longitude  110  deg.  33  min.  and  38 
sec. 

Black's  Fork,  which  runs  through  the 
center  of  the  parade  ground,  affords  ex- 
cellent water,  and  with  Smith's  Fork,  a 
stream  five  miles  southeast,  affords  as  fine 
trout  as  there  is  in  the  country. 


-  The  "good,  old-fashioned  way"  of  imparting 
knowledge  to  dull  pupils— By  rule,  paddling  it  in 
through  the  pores  of  the  skin. 

"Cayotes"  are  a  small  species  of  wolf.  "Jack 
rabbits"  are  of  the  hare  family. 

Infantry  soldiers  are  called,  by  the  Indians, 
"hea-i  walk  men." 


78 


CROFUTT  S    NEW    OVERLAND    TOURIST 


This  post  was  named  after  James 
Bridgeb,  the  renouned  hunter,  trapper  and 

f  aide,  who  lived  in  this  country  nearly 
alf  a  centurj^.  (See  portrait  page  77.) 
"  Jim "  Bridger  is  undoubtedly  the 
most  noted  of  all  the  old  plains  men,  and 
early  pioneers  in  our  far  western  country. 
Through  the  courtesy  of  W.  A.  Carter,  of 
Fort  Bridger,  we  have  been  furnished  with 
a  fine  picture  of  Mr.  Bridger,  end  a  short 
sketch  of  his  eventful  life— from  which  we 
condense : 

"Jim  "  was  born  in  Richmond,  Virginia 
— sometime  about  the  last  of  the  last  cen- 
tury— and  while  he  was  very  small,  his 
parents  emigrated  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  where, 
shortly  after  their  arrival,  they  both  diecl 
of  an  epidemic  then  prevailing  in  that 
city.  Having  no  one  to  look  to  or  care  for 
him,  he  engaged  to  accompany  a  party  of 
trappers  who  were  then  fitting  out  for  a 
trip  to  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

Entirely  devoid  of  even  the  commonest  ru- 
diments of  education,  lie  crossed  the  then 
almost  wholly  unknown  and  trackless 
plains,  and  plunged  into  the  pathless 
mountains.  Greatly  attracted  by  the'novelty 
of  the  sport,  at  that  time  quite  profitable, 
he  entered  eagerly  upon  the  business  of 
trading  in  fur.  Being  naturally  shrewd,  and 
possessing  a  keen  faculty  of  observation,  he 
carefully  studied  the  habits  of  the  beaver, 
and  profiting  by  the  knowledge  obtained 
from  the  Indians — ^with  whom  he  chiefiy 
associated,  and  with  whom  he  became  a 
great  favorite — he  soon  became  one  of  the 
most  expert  trappers  and  hunters  in  the 
mountains. 

Eager  to  satisfy  his  curiosity,  a  natural 
fondness  for  mountain  scenery,  and  a  rov- 
ing disposition,  he  traversed  the  country  in 
every  direction,  sometimes  in  companv 
with  Indians,  but  oftener  alone ;  he  famil- 
iarized himself  with  every  mountain  peak, 
every  gorge,  every  hill,  and  everjr  land- 
mark in  the  country.  He  pursued  his  trap- 
ping expeditions  north  to  the  British  Pos- 
sessions, south  to  Mexico,  and  west  to  the 
Pacific  Ocean.  In  this  way  be  became 
acquainted  with  all  the  tribes  of  Indians  in 
the  country,  and  by  long  intercourse  with 
them,  learned  their  language  and  became 
familiar  with  all  their  signs.  He  adopted 
their  habits,  conformed  to  their  customs, 
became  imbued  with  all  their  superstitions, 
and  at  length  excelled  them  in  strategy. 
The  marvelous  stories  told  by  Bridger  are 
numerous,  but  we  have  not  the  space  for  a 
**  specimen."    In  after  years,  when  it  be- 


came  necessaiy  to  send  millitary  expedi- 
tions through  the  far  western  country,  the 
Government  employed  Bridger  as  a  guide, 
and  his  experience  was  turned  to  good  ac- 
count as  an  interpreter  of  Indian  languages. 

Mr.  Bridger  died  in  1875,  near  Kansas 
City,  Mo.,  having  outlived  the  sphere  of 
his  usefulness,  there  being  no  longer  any 
portion  of  the  West  unexplored,  and  hav- 
ing reached  the  period  of  second  childhood. 

As  this  post  is  one  of  great  historic  in- 
terest, we  publish,  in  our  Annex  No.  17. 
Memories  of  Fort  Bridger.  I'o  the  next 
station  it  is  9.5  miles,  and  is  named  after 
that  old  hunter  and  trapper, 

Bridger — and  it  is  as  unpretentious  as 
the  original.  Scrub  cedar  in  the  high  rocky 
bluffs,  sage-brush,  red  sandstone  and  red 
clay,  with  bunch-grass  for  sandwiching,  is 
the  make-up  of  the  surrounding  country.. 
It  is  inhabited  by  a  few  wood-choppers, 
some  stock  men,  with  herds  of  cattle  and 
sheep,  a  few  deer,  antelope,  coyotes  and 
j  ack  rabbits  by  the  thousands.  For  agricul- 
tural purposes,  it  is  in  a  high  state  of  deso- 
lation. 

For  the  next  three  stations  we  shall 
ascend  rapidly.  The  blufis  are  nearer,  and 
we  cross  and  re-cross  the  "  Muddy  "  very 
often,  the  little  stream  being  nearly  as 
crooked  as  the  streets  in  Boston. 

A  few  miles  beyond,  on  the  left,  is  a 
towering  cliff",  which  comes  to  a  point,  near 
the  road,  on  the  side  of  which  are  some 
notable  water-lines. 

This  cliff  is  about  500  feet  in  height,  and 
where  it  comes  to  a  point  is  pulpit-shaped, 
and  is  known  as  Pluto.'s  Outlook.  A  little 
further  south  is  his  Majesty's  Stone-Yard,  to 
which  the  railroad  company,  years  ago, 
laid  a  track  for  the  purpose  of  using  the 
fiat  stone  which  lay  around  scattered  all 
over  the  "yard,"  but  here  a  difficulty 
seems  to  have  arisen.  The  masons  re- 
ported that  the  stone  was  "  bedeviled," 
and  would  not  lay  still;  when  the  stone 
was  laid  fiat  in  their  work,  the  next 
morning  they  would  be  found  on  the 
edge;  when  laid  on  the  edge  and  left  alone 
for  a  few  moments,  they  were  found  fiat- 
ways.  This  state  of  things  so  alarmed  the 
masons  that  they  abandoned  their  work 
and  the  country,  and  it  is  not  known  what 
has  become  of  them. 

liCroy — a  side-track,  is  five  miles  from 
Bridger.  Near  here  the  old  overland  road 
comes  down  the  mountains,  crossing  the 
railroad  to  the  west,  at  Burns'  old  ranche,. 
the  route  marked  by  the  line  of  telegraph. 


AND    PACIFIC    COAST   GUIDE. 


79 


poles.  Three  miles  west,  on  this  stage  road, 
are  the  soda  springs. 

Piedmont— ^is  ten  miles  from  Le- 
roy;  there  are  a  few  dozen  buildings  in 
sight.  The  principal  business  in  which 
the.  people  are  engaged  is  the  burning  of 
charcoal  for  shipment  to  smelting  fur- 
naces in  Salt  Lake  Valley.  There  are  five 
patent  kilns  close  to  the  left  of  the  road, 
the  wood  being  hauled  from  the  Uintah 
Mountains  to  the  southward,  from  15  to  30 
miles  distant. 

Leaving  the  station,  look  ahead  from  the 
left  side,  at  the  track  and  snow-sheds.  The 
grade  is  very  heavy,  the  country  is  rough 
and  broken,  and  the  road  is  very  crooked,  al- 
most doubling  back  on  itself  in  places. 
The  track  is  laid  over  many  long  and  high 
trestle  bridges,  all  of  which  have  been  filled 
in  with  dirt,  within  the  last  six  years. 

Before  reaching  the  next  station,  our 
train  will  pass  through  five  long  snow- 
sheds.  The  small  houses  near  the  sheds 
are  the  habitations  of  the  watchmen  who 
have  them  in  charge.  These  sheds  are 
built  very  tight  to  prevent  fine  snow  from 
sifting  through,  which  causes  them  to 
be  quite  dark.  From  Piedmont,  it  is  9.4 
miles  to 

Aspen — a  side-track.  Lumber  piles 
and  water-tank  make  up  the  place.  This 
station  is  next  in  height  to  Sherman,  on 
the  line  of  the  Union  Pacific.  Elevation, 
7,835  feet ;  is  977  miles  from  San  Francisco, 
and  937  from  Omaha,  situated  on  the  low- 
est pass  over  the  Uintah  Mountains. 

The  station  derives  its  name  from  the 
high  mountain  to  the  north,  called  "Quak- 
ing Asp."  The  summit  of  this  mountain 
is  covered  with  snow  during  most  ot  the 
year.  The  "  quaking  asp,"  or  aspen,  a 
species  of  poplar,  grows  in  profusion  in 
the  gulches  and  on  the  sides  of  the  moun- 
tain. The  old  overland  stage  road 
winds  around  the  northern  base,  while  the 
railroad  girds  its  southern  borders,  nearly 
encircling  it  between  the  old  and  new ;  de- 
cay and  death  marking  the  one,  life,  energy 
and  growing  strength,  the  other. 

Leaving  Aspen,  the  grade  is  downward 
to  Salt  Lake  Valley.  After  rolling  through 
two  long  snow-sheds  and  five  miles  of 
road,  we  are  at 

Hilliard— population  400.  At  this 
station  business  can  be  felt  in  the  air.  A 
"  V  "  flume  crosses  the  railroad  track — 30 
feet  above  it — in  which  immense  quanti- 
ties of  lumber,  ties,  telegraph  poles,  cord- 
wood,  etc.,  are  floated  down  from  the  pine- 


ries of  the  Uintah  Mountains,  from  20  to 
30  miles  distant,  south.  Just  to  the  right 
of  the  station  are  located  rows  of  the 
J.  C.  Cameron  bee-hive  kilns,  for  burn- 
ing chai'coal.  There  are  about  30  of 
them,  of  two  different  sizes,  some  with  a 
capacity  for  30  and  some  40  cords  of  wood. 
These  kilns  can  each  be  filled  and  burned 
three  times  a  month,  and  from  30  cords  of 
wood  1,000  bushels  of  charcoal  is  pro- 
duced. This  coal  is  mostly  shipped  to 
smelting  furnaces,  to  the  westward— Salt 
Lake  City,  Virginia  City,  Eureka,  San 
Francisco,  etc.  One  smelting  furnace  was 
erected  here — at  the  coal — during  the  year 
1877. 

Sulphur  springs  ar,e  located  opposite 
the  station,  to  the  north  and  south,  from  10 
to  35  miles  distant,  but  thej/  are  getting  too 
common  to  require  a  description;  and 
then,  owing  to  late  teachings,  they  pos- 
sess little  interest  to  our  readers. 

Two  miles  Irom  Hilliard,  to  the  right 
of  the  road,  we  come  to  the  site  of  old 
Bear  River  City,  of  early  railroad  days, 
but  now  entirely  deserted.  It  is  situated 
in  a  little  valley  at  the  mouth  of  a  ravine, 
where  the  old  overland  stage  road  comes 
down  from  the  north  of  Quaking  Asp 
Mountain.  At  one  time  this  place  was 
quite  populous,  and  was  supposed  likely 
to  become  a  permanent  town.  At  this 
point  the  roughs  and  gamblers,  who  had 
been  driven  from  point  to  point  westward, 
made  a  stand,  congregating  in  large  num- 
bers. They  swore  that  they  would  be 
driven  no  further ;  that  here  they  would 
stay,  and  fight  it  out  to  the  bitter  end. 
The  town  contained  about  1,000  law-abid- 
ing people,  and  when  the  roughs  felt  that 
trouble  was  coming  on  them,  they  with- 
drew to  the  hills  and  organized  for  a  raid 
on  the  town.  Meanwhile  some  of  the 
roughs  remained  in  the  town,  and  among 
them  were  three  noted  garroters,  who  had 
added  to  their  long  list  of  crimes  that  of 
murder.  The  citizens  arose,  seized  and 
hung  them.  In  this  act  they  were  sus- 
tained by  all  law-abiding  people,  also  by 
the  Index^  a  paper  which  had  followed  the 
road,  but  was  then  published  here.  This 
hastened  the  conflict,  and  on  the  19th  of 
November,  1868,  the  roughs  attacked  the 
town  in  force.  This  attack  was  repulsed 
by  the  citizens,  though  not  until  the  Bear 
River  riot  had  cost  sixteen  lives,  including 
th  at  of  one  citizen.  The  mob  flrst  attacked 
and  burned  the  jail,  taking  thence  one  of 
their  kind  who  was  confined  there.    They 


80 


CROFUTT  S    NEW    OVERLAND    TOURIST 


next  sacked  the  oflfice  and  destroyed  the  ma- 
terial of  the  Frontier  Index,  which  was  sit- 
uated in  a  building  close  to  the  railroad,  on 
the  south  side.  Elated  with  their  success, 
the  mob,  numbering  about  300  well-armed 
desperadoes,  marched  over  to  the  north  side, 
up  the  main  street,  and  made  an  attack  on  a 
store  belonging  to  one  of  the  leading  mer- 
chants. Here  they  were  met  with  a  vol- 
ley from  Henry  rifles,  in  the  hands  of 
brave  and  determined  citizens,  who  had 
collected  in  the  store.  The  mob  was 
thrown  into  confusion,  and  fled  down  the 
street,  pursued  by  the  citizens,  about  thirty 
in  number.  The  first  volley  and  the  run- 
ning fight  left  fifteen  of  the  desperadoes 
dead  on  the  street.  The  number  of 
wounded  was  never  ascertained,  but  sev- 
eral bodies  were  afterwards  found  in  the 
gulches  and  among  the  rocks,  where  they 
had  crawled  away  and  died.  One  citizen 
was  slain  in  the  attack  on  the  jail.  From 
this  time  the  roughs  abandoned  the  city. 

The  town  declined  as  soon  as  the  road 
was  built  past  it,  and  now  there  is  nothing 
left  to  mark  the  place,  except  a  few  old 
chimneys,  broken  bottles  and  scattered 
oyster  cans.  Passing  on,  the  blufis  are 
hi^h  and  broken,  coming  close  to  the  road, 
leaving  but  a  narrow  valley,  until  we  reach 

Millis— a  side-track,  four  miles  from 
Hilliard.  Soon  after  passing  Millis,  we 
come  to  the  valley  of  Bear  River,  down 
which  we  run  for  two  miles  and  cross  that 
river  on  a  trestle  bridge,  600  feet  in  length. 

Bear  Riveb — This  stream  rises  about 
sixty  miles  to  the  south  in  the  Uintah  and 
Wasatch  Mountains.  It  has  many  tribu- 
taries, which  abound  in  very  fine  trout — 
and  quite  a  business  is  carried  on  in  catch- 
ing and  salting  them  for  the  trade.  The 
river  here  runs  almost  due  north,  to  Port 
Neuf  Gap.  Before  reaching  the  Gap,  it 
comes  to  Bear  Lake,  from  which  it  takes 
its  name.  The  lake  is  about  15  miles 
long  by  seven  wide,  and  contains  plenty  of 
trout  and  other  fish.  There  are  some 
pretty  Mormon  settlements  at  difierent 
points  along  the  r^ver  and  lake  shore. 

The  Upper  Bear  Lake  Valley  is  a  point 
of  great  interest  on  account  of  the  fertility 
of  the  soil,  its  romantic  situation,  the 
beautiful  and  ^rand  scenery  of  rock,  lake 
and  mountain  in  that  neighborhood.  The 
valley  lies  in  Rich  county,  the  most  north- 
ern county  in  Utah  Territory,  and  is  about 
25  miles  long,  with  a  varying  width. 

At  Port  Keuf  Gap,  the  river  turns,  and 
thence  its  course  is  nearly  due  south,  until 


it  empties  into  Great  Salt  Lake,  near  the 
town  of  Corinne.  The  course  of  the 
river  can  best  be  understood  when  we  say 
that  it  resembles  the  letter  U  in  shape. 
From  where  it  rises  it  runs  due  north  to 
latitude  42  deg,  30  min.,  then  suddenly 
turning,  it  runs  south  to  latitude  41  deg. 
43  min.,  before  it  finds  the  lake.  Within 
this  bend  lies  the  Wasatch  Moimtains,  a 
spur  of  the  Uintah,  a  rugged,  rough,  bold, 
but  narrow  range. 

The  entire  region  is  wild  and  pictur- 
esque, and  would  well  repay  the  tourist  for 
the  time  spent  in  visiting  it.  About  sixty 
miles  distant,  to  the  north,  are  the  far-famed 
Soda  Springs,  of  Idaho,  situated  in  Oneida 
county,  Idaho  Territory. 

The  old  route,  by  which  this  northern 
country  was  reached,  was  from  Ogden, 
via  Ogden  Canyon  and  Ogden  Valley; 
now  the  best  route  is  via  Utah  Northern 
railroad  to  Franklin,  and  from  thence 
east ;  see  further  on. 

We  now  return  to  the  road,  and  pass 
down  the  valley,  cross  Yellow  Creek,  one 
of  the  tributaries  of  Bear  River,  and  9.5 
miles  from  Millis,  arrive  at 

Evanston— This  is  a  regular  eatinff 
station,  where  trains  from  tlie  East  and 
West  stop  30  minutes  for  dinner;  the  wait- 
ers  are  Chinese.  —The  meals,  good. 

Evanston  is  the  county  seat  of  Uintah 
county,  Wyoming,  957  miles  from  either 
Omaha  or  San  Francisco— ji^s^  half  way 
between  the  Missouri  River  and  the  Pa- 
cific Ocean.  The  Railroad  Company  have 
erected  a20-stall  round-house,  repair  shpps, 
hotel,  freight  and  passenger  buildings, 
and  the  place  has  improved  otherwise 
verv  much.  It  now  contains  about  1,200 
white  and  about  150  Chinese  inhabitants. 
The  town  boasts  of  some  good  buildings — 
including  a  fine  court-house.  The  Age,  a 
weekly  newspaper,  is  published  here. 

The  citizens  of  Evanston  are  mostly  en- 
gaged in  lumbering,  coke-burning,  coal- 
mining and  stock-raising. 

The  railroad  was  completed  to  this  point 
late  in  the  fall  of  1868,  and  a  large  amount 
of  freight  was  delivered  here  for  Salt  Lake 
Valley  and  Montana.  Saw-mills  supply 
lumber  from  the  almost  inexhaustible 
pine  forests  on  Bear  River  to  the  south- 
ward. 

About  three  miles  east  to  the  right  of  the 
road,  and  of  Bear  River  Valley,  is  located 
the  town  of 

Alma — Here  are  located  some  of  the 
most  valuable  coal  mines  on  the  road,  and 


AND    PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


81 


which  supply  large  quantities  to  the  rail- 
road company.  The  mines  are  said  to  be 
very  extensive,  easily  worked,  yielding  coal 
of  good  quality,  and  employ  about  800  men, 
most  of  whom  are  Chinese.  From  150  to 
200  car  loads  are  shipped  from  Alma  per 
day  to  towns  on  the  line  of  the  Central  Pa- 
cific railroad,  to  Virginia  City,  Gold  Hill, 
and  Carson  in  Nevada  and  to  San  Fran- 
cisco. A  branch  railroad  has  been  con- 
structed to  the  mines,  leading  off  about 
jOne  mile  north  of  Evanston. 

Soon  after  leaving  Evanston  we  leave 
Bear  River  to  the  right,  and  follow  up  a 
beautiful  little  valley  eleven  miles  to 

liVaisatch — This  station  was  once  a 
regular  eating  station,  with  round-house 
and  machine  shops  of  the  company  located 
here,  but  a  change  has  been  made  to 
Evanston,  and  the  place  is  now  deserted. 

Four  miles  west  we  cross  the  dividing 
line-  between  Wyoming  and  Utah  Territo- 
ries. It  is  marked  by  a  sign-board  beside 
the  road,  on  which  is  painted  on  one  side, 
"  Wyoming,"  the  other  "  Utah." 

Game  is  found  in  the  hills— deer,  elk, 
and  antelope — and  in  the  Uintah  and  Wa- 
satch ranges,  brown,  black  and  cinnamon 
bear  are  common,  and  in  all  the  little 
streams,  fish  of  different  kinds  are  abun- 
dant—^r<m^  particularly. 

On  leaving  Wasatch,  we  arrive  at  the 
divide  and  head  of  Echo  Canon,  one-half 
mile  distant.  Here  we  find  the  longest 
tunnel  on  the  road,  770  feet  in  length,  cut 


through  hard  red  clay  and  sandstone. 
When  the  tunnel  was  completed,  it  was  ap- 
proached from  the  east  by  two  long  pieces 
of  trestle-work,  one  of  which  was  230  feet 
long  and  30  feet  high ;  the  other  450  feet 
long  and  75  feet  high,  which  have  since 
been  filled  in  with  earth.  The  tunnel 
opens  to  the  westward,  into  a  beautiful 
little  canyon,  with  a  narrow  strip  of  grassy 
bottom  land  on  either  side  of  a  miniature 
stream,  known  as  the  North  Fork  of  Echo. 
The  hills  are  abrupt,  and  near  the  road, 
leaving  scarcely  more  than  room  for  a 
roadway,  including  the  grassy  land  re- 
ferred to.  Along  these  bluffs,  on  the  left- 
hand  side  of  the  stream,  the  road-bed  has 
been  made  by  cutting  down  the  sides  of 
the  hills  and  filling  hollows,  in  some  pla- 
ces  from  50  to  75  feet  deep. 

Before  the  tunnel  was  completed,  the 
road  was  laid  temporarily  from  the  divide 
into  Echo  Canyon  by  a  Z  or  zigzag  track, 
which  let  the  cars  down  to  the  head  of  the 
canyon — under  the  trestles  above  named. 
The  great  difficulty  to  overcome  by  the 
railroad  company  in  locating  the  road 
from  this  point  into  Salt  Lake  Valley  was 
the  absence  of  spurs  or  sloping  hills  to 
carry  the  grade.  Every  thing  seems  to 
give  way  aLonce,  and  pitch  headlong  away 
to  the  level  of  the  lake.  The  rim,  or 
outer  edge,  of  the  table-lands,  breaks  ab- 
ruptly over,  and  the  streams  which  make 
out  from  this  table-land,  instead  of  keep- 
ing their  usual  grade,  seem  to  cut  through 


"PRICKEY,"  THE  PET  HORNED  TOAD  OF  THE    PACIFIC   COAST. 

See  Page  126. 


CBOPUTT'S    NEW   OVERLAND   TOURIST 


the  rim  and  drop  into  the  valley  below, 
there  being  no  uplands  to  carry  them. 

By  the  present  line  of  road,  the  cars 
enter  Echo  Canyon  proper  at  the  little  sta- 
tion of 

Caistle  Rock — 8.4  miles  from 
"Wasatch.  This  station  derives  its  name 
from  the  long  line  of  sandstone  bluffs  on 
the  right-hand  side  of  the  canyon,  which 
are  worn  and  torn  away  until,  in  the  dis- 
tance, they  have  the  appearance  of  the  old 
feudel  castles,  so  often  spoken  of,  but  so 
seldom  seen,  by  modern  tourists.  For  a 
long  distance  these  rocks  line  the  right- 
hand  bank  of  the  canyon,  their  massive 
red  sandstone  fronts  towering  from  500  to 
1,500  feet  above  the  little  valley,  and  bear- 
ing the  general  name  of  "  Castle  Rocks." 

The  cars  descend  the  canyon  amid  some 
of  the  grandest  and  wildest  scenery  imag- 
inable. We  do  not  creep  along  as  though 
we  mistrusted  our  powers,  but  with  a  snort 
and  roar  the  engine  plunges  down  the  de- 
hle,  which  momentarily  increases  to  a 
gorge,  only  to  become,  in  a  short  distance, 
a  grand  and  awful  chasm.  About  7,2 
,miies  below  Castle  Bock— at 
Emory— the  traveler  can  see  theNa- 
tural  Bridge,  a  conglomerate  f orma- 
tion.spanningacleftinthewallonthe 
right-hand  side:  this  "Hanging  Rock 
of  Echo"  has  more  than  alocal  reputa- 
tion. It  gave  the  name  to  an  overland 
'stage  station,  when  the  completion  of 
jthis  road  was— but  in  the  dreams  of 
its  sanguine  projectors— an  unde- 
fln  ed  and  visionary  thing  of  the  future. 

The  left  hand  side  of  the  canyon  pre- 
sents but  few  attractions  compared  with  the 
bolder  and  loftier  bluffs  opposite.  The 
vvall  breaks  away  and  recedes  in  sloping, 
grassy  hillsides,  while  we  know  not  what 
lies  bevond  these  walls  to  the  right,  for 
they  close  the  view  in  that  direction. 
Wall,  solid  wall,  broken  wall,  walls  of 
sandstone,  walls  of  granite,  and  walls  of  a 
conglomerate  of  both,  mixed  with  clay, 
rise  far  above  us,  and  shut  from  our  vision 
whatever  lies  beyond. 

The  beauties  of  Echo  Canjon  are  so 
man^,  so  majestic,  so  awe-inspirmg  in  their 
sublimity,  that  there  is  little  use  in  calling 
the  traveler's  attention  to  them.  But  as  we 
rush  swiftly  along,  seemingly  beneath  these 
towering  heights,  we  can  note  some  of  the 
more  prominent  features. 

The  only  difficulty  will  be  that  one  will 
hardly  see  them  all,  as  the  cars  thunder 
along,  waking    the  echoes  among   these 


castellated  monuments  of  red  rock,  whose 
towering  domes  and  frowning  buttresses 
gave  the  name  to  this  remarkable  opening 
in  the  Wasatch  Mountains.  Four  miles 
below  Hanging  Rock  the  walls  rise  in 
massive  majesty — the  prominent  features 
of  the  canyon.  Rain,  wind  and  time  have 
combined  to  destroy  them,  but  in  vain. 
Centuries  have  come  and  gone  since  that 
mighty  convulsion  shook  the  earth  to  its 
center,  when  Echo  and  Weber  canyons 
sprung  into  existence — twin  children — 
whose  birth  was  heralded  by  throes  such 
as  the  earth  may  never  feel  again,  and  still 
the  mighty  wall  of  Echo  remains,  bidding 
defiance  alike  to  time  and  his  co-laborers — 
the  elements ;  still  hangs  the  delicate  fret 
and  frost  work  from  the  walls;  still  the 
pillar,  column,  dome  and  spire  stand  boldly 
forth  in  all  their  grand,  wild  and  weird 
beauty  to  entrance  the  traveler,  and  fill  his 
mind  with  wonder  and  awe.  . 

About  six  miles  below  Hanging  Rock, 
up  on  the  topmost  heights  of  the  towering 
cliffs,  a  thousand  feet  above  the  bed  of  the 
canyon,  can  be  seen  the  fortifications 
erected  by  the  Mormons  to  defend  this 
pass  against  the  army  under  Johnson,  sent 
out  in  1857  by  Uncle  Sam.  These  fortifi- 
cations  consist  of  massive  rocks,  placed  on 
the  verge  of  the  precipice,  which  were  to 
be  toppled  over  on  the  heads  of  the  sol- 
diers below,  but  the  experiment  was  never 
made,  so  the  rocks  remain  to  be  used  on 
some  other  foe,  or  as  the  evidences  of  a 
people's  folly. 

On  goes  the  engine,  whirling  us  past 
castle,  cathedral,  towering  column  and 
rugged  battlement,  past  ravines  which  cut 
the  walls  from  crest  to  base  in  awful 
chasms,  shooting  over  bridges  and  flying 
past  and  under  the  overhanging  walls  (see 
Steamboat  Rock,  Annex  Ino.  19),  when, 
after  crossing  Echo  Creek,  thirty-one  times 
in  twenty-six  miles,  we  rush  past  the 
Witches'  Cave  a,nd  Pulpit  Rock,  our  en- 
gine giving  a  loud  scream  of  warning  to 
the  brakemen,  who  "throwing  on  the 
brakes,"  bring  the  train  to  a  stop,  and  we 
get  out  once  more  to  examine  the  country, 
Weber  River  and  Echo  City  station. 

Before  we  take  a  final  leave  of  Echo 
Canyon  we  will  relate  an  incident,  thrill, 
ing  in  its  nature,  but  happily  ending  with- 
out  serious  results,  which  occurred  there 
during  the  construction  of  the  road  from 
Echo  City  to  the  mouth  of  Weber,  and  is 
known  as  "  Paddy  Miles'  Ride." — see  An- 
nex No.  20. 


STEAMBOAT  ROCK.  ECHO  CANYO 


3*  UTAH,  U  P.R.R.    (See  Annex  No.  19.) 


(«.) 


:     -K,; 


<     /J 


AND    PACIFIC    COAST   GUIDE. 


83 


Directly  ahead  of  our  train,  as  it  emerges 
from  Echo  Canyon,  coming  in  from  the 
south,  is 

Weber  River — This  stream  rises  in 
the  Wasatch  Mountains,  70  miles  to  the 
south,  its  waters  being  supplied  by  thou- 
sands of  springs,  many  larger  tributaries, 
and  the  everlasting  snows  of  this  rugged 
mountain  range.  It  empties  into  the 
Great  Salt  Lake,  just  below  Ogden,  about 
50  miles  from  Echo  City.  The  valley  of 
tiie  Weber,  from  Echo  City  up  to  its 
source,  is  very  fertile,  and  thickly  settled 
by  the  Mormons.  Three  miles  above  this 
station  is  Chalk  Creek, where  a  fine  coal- 
bank  has  been  discovered.  Three  miles 
beyond  this  point  is  Coalville,  a  Mormon 
settlement  of  800  inhabitants— a  thriving 
village.  Its  name  is  derived  from  the 
carboniferious  formations  existing  there. 
The  coal-beds  are  extensive,  some  of  the 
veins  being  of  good  quality,  others  being 
lignite.  Echo  &  Park  City  branch  is 
completed  from  Echo  Cityto  Park  City 
—27  miles,  with  a  branch  from  Coal- 
ville, five  miles  to  an  extensive  coal 
mine.  The  track  leaves  Echo  City 
and  passes  along  close  below  the 
tJnion  track  at  Pulpit  Bock. 

Seven  miles  beyond  Coalville  is  the 
pleasant  village  of  Winship,  situated  at  the 
junction  of  Silver  Creek  and  Weber  River, 
containing  1,000  inhabitants.  The  "old 
stage  road"  followed  up  Weber  to  this 
point,  thence  up  Silver  Creek  via  Parley 
Fark,  and  thence  to  Salt  Lake  City,  50 


miles  distant  from  Echo. 

Parley  Park— This  is  a  beautiful  vaU 
ley  on  the  old  stage  road,  about  five  miles 
long  by  three  miles  wide.  It  is  very  fer- 
tile, producing  fine  crops  of  small  grain. 
Several  hundred  settlers  have  locscted  and 
made  themselves  homes.  There  is  a  fine 
hotel,  once  kept  as  a  stage  station,  now 
kept  by  William  Kimball,  eldest  son  of 
Heber  C.  Fish,  in  any  desired  quantity, 
can  be  caught  in  the  streams,  and  game  of 
many  varieties,  including  deer  and  bears, 
inhabit  the  adjoining  mountains.  It  is  one 
of  those  pleasant  places  where  one  loves 
to  linger,  regrets  to  leave,  and  longs  to 
visit  again.  We  advise  tourists  to  visit  it ; 
they  will  not  regret  a  week  or  a  montii 
among  the  hills  and  streams  of  the  Upper 
Webe"  Near  this  point  gold  and  silver 
mines  have  been  discovered— which  prove 
very  rich,  chief  of  which  is  the  Ontario 
Mine,  the  most  productive  in  Utah,  and 
the  prospects  now  are  that  the  "  Park  "  will 
become  a  great  mining  center.  Re. 
turning,  we  stop  a  few  moments  at 

JBcbo  City — The  town  is  situated  at 
the  foot  of  the  bluff,  which  towers  far 
above  it,  9.4  miles  from  Han^ng  Rock. 
As  the  cars  enter  the  city  from  Echo  Can- 
yon, they  turn  to  the  right,  and  close  at  the 
base  of  the  cliff,  on  the  right,  stands  Pulpit 
Rock  (gee  illustration)  and  the  old  stage 
ranche  on  the  left,  just  where  it  appears 
that  we  must  pitch  off  into  the  valley  and 
river  below.  This  city  is  not  very  inviting, 
unless  you  like  to  hunt  and  fish,  when  a 


PULPIT   ROCK,  MOUTH  OF  KCHO  CANYON,  UTAH. 


84 


CROFUTT  S    NEW    OVERLAND   TOURIST 


Stay  of  a  few  days  would  be  passed  very 
pleasantly. 

Clialk  Creek,  Silver  Creek,  Echo  Creek, 
and  Weber  River,  afford  excellent  trouting, 
while  antelope  are  shot  near  the  city.  The 
mountains  abound  in  bears,  deer  and  elk. 

Echo  contains  about  200  inhabitants,  in- 
cluding those  settlers  near  by  and  the  rail- 
road  employes.  Coal  beds,  extensive  ones, 
are  found  near  by,  as  well  as  an  indefinite 
quantity  of  iron  ore,  which  must  possess  a 
market  value,  sooner  or  later. 

Near  Echo  City,  across  the  Weber,  a 
ravine  leads  up  the  mountain  side,  wind- 
ing and  turning  around  among  the  gray 
old  crags,  until  it  leads  into  a  beautiful 
little  dell,  in  the  center  of  which  reposes 
a  miniature  lakelet,  shut  in  on  all  sides  by 
tiie  hills.  It  is  a  charming,  beautiful, 
tiny  little  gem,  nestled  amid  a  gray,  grand 
setting  of  granite  peaks  and  pine-clad 
gorges— a  speck  of  delicate  etherealized 
beauty  amid  the  strength  and  ruggedness 
of  an  alpine  world. 

Weber  Canyon — ^To  give  a  minute  de- 
scription of  this  remarkable  place  we  can- 
not attempt,  as  it  would  fill  a  volume 
were  its  beauties  fully  delineated,  and  each 
point  of  interest  noted.  But  as  one  of  the 
grand  and  remarkable  features  of  the  road 
it  demands  a  notice,  however  meager,  at 
our  hands.  For  about  40  miles  the  river 
rushes  foaming  along,  between  two  mas- 
sive mountain  walls,  which  close  the  land- 
scape on  either  hand.    Now,  the  torrent 


plunges  over  some  mighty  rock  which  has 
fallen  from  the  towering  cliff  1,000  feet 
above;  anon,  it  whirls  around  in  frantic 
struggles  to  escape  from  the  boiling  eddy, 
thence  springing  forward  over  a  short, 
smooth  rapid,  only  to  repeat  the  plunge 
again  and  again,  until  it  breaks  forth  into 
the  plains,  whence  it  glides  away  toward 
the  lake,  as  though  exhausted  with  its  wild 
journey  through  the  canyon. 

In  passing  down  the  canyon,  the  traveler 
should  closely  watch,  for  fresh  objects  of 
wonder  and  interest  will  spring  suddenly 
into  sight  on  either  hand. 

From  Echo  City,  the  cars  speed  along 
the  banks  of  tlie  Weber  for  about  four 
miles,  when  they  enter  the  Narrows  of 
Weber  Canyon,  through  which  the  road  is 
cut  for  two  miles,  most  of  the  way  in  the 
side  of  the  steep  mountain  that  drops  its 
base  in  the  river-bed. 

Soon  after  leaving  Echo  City,  on  the 
right,  about  100  yards  from  the  road,  and 
300  feet  above  it,  can  be  seen  the  "  Wiches* 
Rocks,"  a  collection  of  red,  yellow  and 
gray  conglomerate  rocks,  standing  out 
from  the  side  of  the  cliff*,  varying  in  height 
from  20  to  60  feet.  Shortly  after  entering 
the  Narrows,  the 

One  Thousand  Mile  Tree  is  passed  — 
a  thrifty,  branching  pine— bearing  on  its 
trunk  a  sign-board  that  tells  the  western- 
bound  traveler  that  he  has  passed  over 
1,000  miles  of  railway  from  Omaha.  This 
living  milestone  of  nature's  planting  has 


ONE  thousand  mile  TREE,  U.  P.  R.  R. 


AND    PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


85 


JtAtC£/i'-CO 


VIEW   OF    MORMON   TABERNACLE. 


long  marked  this  place ;  long  before  the 
hardy  Mormon  passed  down  this  wild 
gorge;  long  before  the  great  trans-conti- 
nental railroad  was  even  thouglit  of.  It 
stood  a  lonely  sentinal,  when  all  around 
was  desolation ;  when  the  lurking  savage 
and  wild  beast  claimed  supremacy,  and 
each  in  turn  reposed  in  the  shade  of  its 
waving  arms.  How  changed  the  scene  ! 
The  ceaseless  bustle  of  an  active,  progres- 
sive age,  the  hum  of  labor,  the  roar  and 
rush  of  the  passing  locomotive,  has  usurped 
the  old  quiet,  and  henceforward  the  Lone 
Tree  will  be,not  a  guide  to  the  gloomy  past, 
but  an  index  of  the  coming  greatness  of  a 
regenerated  country. 

Just  below  this  tree,  the  cars  cross  a  tres- 
tle bridge  to  the  left  bank  of  the  Weber, 
thence  down  but  a  short  'distance,  before 
they  cross  over  another  trestle  to  the  right- 
hand  side,  and  then,  almost  opposite  the 
bridge,  on  the  side  of  the  mountain  to  the 
left,  can  be  seen  the 

Devil's  Slide,  or  serrated  rocks.  This 
slide  is  composed  of  two  ridges  of  granite 
rock,  reaching  from  the  river  nearly  to  the 
summit  of  a  sloping,  grass-clad  moun- 
tain. They  are  irom  50  to  200  feet  high, 
narrow  slabs,  standing  on  edge,  as  though 
forced  cut  of  the  mountain  side.  The  two 
ridges  run  parallel. with  each  other— about 
10  feet  apart,  the  space  between  being  cov- 
ered with  grass,  wild  flowers  and  climbing 
vines.    (See  illustration,  page  33.) 


Rijshing  swiftly  along  past 

Croydon— an  unimportant  side- 
track, 8.5  miles  from  Echo  City,  we 
soon  lose  sight  of  these  rocks  and  behold 
others  more  grand,  of  different  shapes,  and 
massive  proportions.  The  mountains 
seem  to  have  been  dovetailed  together,  and 
then  torn  rudely  asunder,  leaving  the 
rough  promontories  and  rugged  chasms 
as  so  many  obstacles  to  bar  our  progress. 
But  engineering  skill  has  triumphed  over 
all.  Where  the  road  could  not  be  built 
over  or  around  these  points,  it  is  tunneled 
under.  Now  we  shoot  across  the  river, 
and  dart  through  a  tunnel  550  feet  long, 
cut  in  solid  rock,  with  heavy  cuts  and  fills 
at  either  entrance.  Just  before  entering 
this  tunnel,  high  up  to  the.  left,  formerly 
stood  "  Finger  Rock,"  as  seen  in  the  illus- 
tration (page42),  but  which  has  been 
broken  away,  so  as  not  to  be  visible 
now.  The  frowning  cliffs  bar  our  further 
way,  and  again  we  cross  the  roaring  tor- 
rent and  burrow  under  the  point  of  an- 
other rocky  promontory.  Here  the  road 
stretches  across  a  pretty  little  valley, 
know^n  as  Round  Valley. 

Dashing  along,  with  but  a  moment  to 
spare  in  which  to  note  its  beauties,  we 
enter  the  narrowing  gorge  again,  where 
the  massive  walls  close  in  and  crush  out 
the  green  meadows.  Between  these  lofty 
walls,  with  barely  room  for  the  track  be- 
tween them  and  the  foammg  torrent  at  our 


B6 


CROFUTT'S  NEW  OVERLAND  TOURIST 


feet;  on,  around  a  jotting  point— and  again 
we  emerge  into  a  lengthened  widening  of 
the  canyon,  and  we  pause  for  a  moment  at 

Weber— seven  miles  from  Quarry. 
This  station  lies  between  two  Mormon 
settlements,  which,  taken  in  connection, 
are  called  Morgan  City.  The  villages  are 
separated  by  the  river  which  flows  through 
bottom  lands,  most  of  which  are  under 
cultivation ;  population  about  1,000.  There 
are  some  good  buildings  of  brick  and 
stone,  but  the  greater  number  are  of  logs 
and  adobe — sun-dried  bricks.  At  this  sta- 
tion, opposite  the  depot,  the  first  Z.  C.  M. 
I.  appears,  which,  in  Mormon  rendering, 
means  "  Zion's  Co-operative  Mercantile  In- 
stitution "—a  retail  branch  of  the  great 
co-operative  house  in  Salt  Lake  City. 

This  valley  shows  the  effects  of  irriga- 
tion in  Utah.  Wherever  the  land  is  below 
the  irrigating  canals,  and  is  cultivated,  it 
yields  immense  crops.  Grass  grows  all 
the  way  to  the  summit — and  on  the  sum- 
mit — of  nearly  all  these  mountains,  afford- 
ing the  best  of  pasturage  all  the  year 
Tound,  as  the  fall  of  snow  is  light, 
and  enough  of  what  does  fall  is  blown  off 
by  the  wind,  so  that  cattle  and  sheep  can 
find  sufficient  for  their  needs  at  all  seasons. 
The  same  may  be  said  of  the  whole 
slope  of  the  mountains  of  Utah  at  the 
same  altitude. 

Game  of  all  kinds  is  numerous  through- 
out the  same  section,  and  trout  exceedingly 
plenty,  even  in  the  tinyest  little  streams. 
The  road  follows  down  the  right-hand 
bank  through  this  valley  until  just  below 

Peterson — a  small,  unimportant  sta- 
tion, 9.7  miles  from  Weber,  when  it 
crosses  to  the  left-hand  side,  which  it  fol- 
lows for  four  miles  further,  between  tow- 
ering mountains,  the  valley  now  lost  in  the 
narrow,  gloomy  gorge,  when  suddenly  the 
whistle  shrieks  the  pass-word  as  we  ap- 
proach the 

Devil's  Oate — a  mere  side-track, 
soon  after  leaving  which,  the  brink  of  the 
torrent  is  neared,  and  the  wild  scenery  of 
the  DemVs  Gate  is  before  us.  Onward 
toils  the  long  train  through  a  deep  cut  and 
across  the  bridge — 50  feet  above  the  seeth- 
ing cauldron  of  waters,  where  massive, 
frowning  rocks  rear  their  crests  far  up 
toward  the  black  and  threatening  clouds 
which  hover  over  this  witches'  cauldron. 
With  bated  breath  we  gaze  on  this  wild 
scene,  and  vainly  try  to  analyze  our  feel- 
ings, in  which  awe,  wonder,  and  admira- 
tion are  blended.    We  have  no  time  for 


thought,  as  to  how  or  when  this  mighty 
work  was  accomplished,  no  time  nor  in- 
clination  to  compare  the  work  of  nature 
with  the  puny  work  beneath  us,  but  on- 
ward, with  quickened  speed,  down  the 
right-hand  bank  of  the  stream ;  on  between 
these  massive  piles,  worn  and  seamed  in 
their  ceaseless  struggles  against  the  de- 
stroying hand  of  time ;  on  to  where  yon 
opening  of  light  marks  the  open  country; 
on,  past  towering  mountain  and  toppling 
rock,  until  we  catch  a  view  of  the  broad, 
sunlit  plains,  and  from  the  last  and 
blackest  of  the  buttresses  which  guard  the 
entrance  into  Weber,  we  emerge  to  light 
and  beauty,  to  catch  the  first  view  of  the 
Great  Salt  Lake,  to  behold  broad  plains 
and  well-cultivated  fields  which  stretch 
their  lines  of  waving  green  and  golden 
shades  beyond 

Uintah  Station~We  have  now 
passed  through  the  Wasatch  Mountains, 
and  are  fairly  in  the  Great  Salt  Lake  Val- 
ley. The  elevation  at  thic  point  is  4,560 
feet,  2,319  feet  lower  than  Wasatch,  58 
miles  to  the  eastward.  Uintah  is  4.5 
miles  from  the  Devil's  Gate. 

Near  the  station,  on  this  broad  bottom, 
in  1862,  was  the  :;cenc  of  the  Horrisite  ' 
massacre. 

Here  500  men  of  Briglirr^  Young's 
Mormon  Legion,  and  500  mc:i  %,  ho  volun- 
teered for  the  occasion,  with  live  pieces  of 
artillery,  commanded  by  Robert  T.  Bur- 
ton, attacked  thj  "  Morrisites,"  and  after 
three  days'  skirmishiag,  and  after  a  score 
or  more  had  been  killed,  ^he  "  Morrisites  " 
surrendered.  The  noble  Burton,  after  the 
surrender,  took  possession  of  everything 
he  could  find  in  the  name  of  the  Church ; 
shot  down  their  leader,  Joseph  Morris — 
an  apostate  Mormon— whose  only  fault 
was  that  he  claimed  to  be  the  true  Prophet 
of  God,  instead  of  Brigham  Young.  This 
man  Burton,  at  the  same  time  shot  and 
killed  two  women  who  dared  to  beg  him  to 
save  the  life  of  their  Prophet. 

The  folio  s/ers  of  Morris  consisted  of 
about  90  able-bodied  men,  mostly  unarmed, 
and  over  300  old  men,  women  and  chil-  ' 
dren.  The  prisoners  were  all  taken  to 
Salt  Lake  City,  and  condemned,  and  those 
who  were  able  to  work  had  their  legs  or-  j 
namented  with  a  ball  and  chain,  and  were 
put  to  picking  stone  to  build  the  Mormon 
temple.  On  the  9th  of  T  larch,  1863,  these 
parties  were  all  pardoned  by  Hon.  8.  S. 
Harding,  who  had  that  spring  arrived  in 
Utah  as  Governor  of  the  Territory. 


AND    PACIFIC   COAST   GUIDE. 


87 


Leaving  Uintah,  the  road  winds  around 
to  the  right  and  follows  the  base  of  the 
mountains,  with  the  river  on  the  left.  The 
country  is  fertile  and  dotted  with  well- 
tilled  farms.-  As  we  run  along  down  the 
Weber  River,  and  7.5  miles  from  Uintah, 
we  reach 

Ogden — the  j  unction  of  Union  and  Cen- 
tral Pacific  railroads.  The  distance  from 
Omaha  is  1,032  miles;  from  San  Francisco 
882  miles ;  from  Salt  Lake  City,  36  miles ; 
elevation,  4,301  feet.  Near  the  station 
building  are  the  depots  of  the  Utah  Cen- 
tral and  the  Utah  &  Northern  railroads. 

All  passengers,  baggage,  mail,  and  ex- 
press,  *'  change  cars  "  at  this  station.  Pas- 
sengers who  have  through  tickets  in  sleep- 
ing cars  will  occupy  the  same  numbers  in 
the  Central  as  they  had  in  the  Union,  and 
those  who  had  their  baggage  checked 
through  need  give  it  no  attention ;  but 
those  who  only  checked  to  this  place — to 
the  end  of  the  U.  P.  road — will  need  to 
see  that  it  is  re-checked .  At  this  station, 
trains  stop  a  full  hour,  and  sometimes  a 
little  longer — much  depending  upon  the 
amount  of  matter  to  be  changed  from  one 
train  to  another. 

The  station  building  stands  between  the 
tracks,  in  which  passengers  will  find  a 
dining  room,  where  they  can  have  ample 
time  to  eat  a  good  "square  meal  " — price 
$1.00.  Most  of  the  buildings  at  the  station 
are  of  wood,  but  the  necessary  grounds 
have  been  secured  near  by  for  the  erection 
of  a  "  Union  Depot."  When  will  it  be 
done?    Qaien  sahef 

Ogden  City  is  situated  one  miles  east 
from  the  depot,  at  the  mouth  of  Ogden 
Canyon,  one  of  the  gorges  whicTi  pierce 
the  Wasatch  range,  and  between  the  Weber 
and  Ogden  rivers.  Population,  about 
6,500.  This  is  the  county  seat  of  Weber 
county,  and  has  amply  provided  itself  with 
all  needful  county  buildings.  The  Mor- 
mons have  a  tabernacle,  and  several  other 
denominations  have  places  of  worship 
here.  The  citizens  are  mostly  Mormon, 
and  all  public  improvements  are  under 
their  supervision.  It  is  a  poor  place  for 
"  carpet-baggers." 

The  waters  of  the  Ogden  River  are  con- 
ducted  through  the  streets,  and  used  in  the 
gardens  and  fields  for  irrigating,  the  re- 
sult of  which  is  that  the  city  is  in  the 
midst  of  one  great  flower  garden  and  for- 
est of  fruit  and  shade  trees.  In  the  gar- 
dens are  fruit  ti-ees  of  all  kinds,  which 
bear  abundantly,  and  in    the    fields  are 


raised  immense  crops  of  grain  and  vege- 
tables. 

Rich  mines  of  iron,  silver  and  slate 
are  reported  near  the  city,  but  little  has 
been  done  towards  developing  them. 

Ogden  has  several  good  hotels,  chief  or 
which  is  the  Utah  House.  Two  news- 
papers are  published  here,  ihQ  Junction 
and  the  Chronicle. 

The  Wasatch  Mountams  rise  some  thou- 
sands of  feet  above  the  city,  and  the  tourist 
would  find  much  of  interest  in  a  stroll  up 
the  mountain  side  and  along  the  canyons. 
Ogden  Canyon  is  about  five  miles  long,  and 
from  its  mouth  to  its  source,  from  plain  to 
mountain  top,  the  scenery  is  grand  and  im- 
posing. In  places  the  granite  walls  rise  on 
each  side  1,500  feet  high,  and  for  a  consid- 
erable distance  not  more  than  150  feet  apart. 
About  six  miles  from  Ogden,  up  in  the 
mountains  behind  the  town,  is  a  lovely  lit- 
tle valley  called  "  The  Basin,"  waiered  by 
mountain  streams  and  covered  with  a  lux- 
uriant growth  of  grass. 

Before  proceeding  further,  we  will  take  a 
hasty  glance  at 

Utah  Territory. 

This  territory  extends  from  the  37th  to 
the  42d  parallel  of  north  latitude,  and  from 
the  109th  to  the  114th  degree  of  west  longi- 
tude, containing  a  superficial  area  of  about 
65,000  square  miles,  with  a  population  of 
about  143,907  whites,  Indians  and  Chinese. 
This  area  includes  large  tracts  of  wild 
mountainous  and  barren  country.  At  pres- 
ent, most  of  the  lands  under  cultivation 
and  the  meadow  lands  are  around  the 
lakes  and  in  the  neighboring  mountain  val- 
leys, and  are  ver^  productive  when  irri- 
gated ;  grains,  fruits  and  vegetables  matur- 
ing readily,  and  yielding  large  returns — 
the  aridity  of  the  climate  precluding  the 
growing  of  crops  by  any  other  means. 

Opposite  title  page  of  this  book,  see  illus- 
tration— Utah's  Best  Crop. 

Rich  veins  of  gold,  silver,  coal,  iron,  cop- 
per, zinc,  cinnabar,  antimony  and  nearly- 
all  the  metals  found  in  the  "  Great  West,'* 
exist  in  Utah,  and  it  is  the  opinion  of  most 
men,  had  it  not  been  for  the  "  Councils"  of 
Brigham  Young  to  his  followers,  the  Mor- 
mons, not  to  prospect  for  minerals,  Utali 
might  to-day  be  an  honored  State,  in  the 
great  family  of  States,  with  a  developed 
mineral  wealth,  second  only  to  California, 
and  possibly  the  first.  The  whole  country 
within  her  borders  would  be  illuminated 


CKOFUTT  S    NEW    OVERLAND    TOURIST 


with,  the  perpetual  fires  of  her  "  smelting 
furnaces,"  and  resound  with  the  tliundering 
echoes  and  re-echoes  of  the  Uiousands  of  de- 
scending stamps  grinding  out  the  wealth, 
which,  since  the  completion  of  the  Pacific 
railroad,  and  the  consequent  influx  of 
"Gentiles"  has  been  exported  by  mil- 
lions and  most  effectually  demonstrated  the 
fact  that  Utah,  if  not  the  richest,  is  certainly 
next  to  the  richest  silver-mining  country  in 
the  world. 

Besides  the  above,  brimstone,  saltpeter, 
gypsum,  plumbago  and  soda  have  been  dis- 
covered, some  of  which  are  being  worked, 
while  fire-clay,  marble,  granite,  slate,  reel 
and  white  sandstone,  limestone  and  kindred 
formations  exist  to  an  almost  unlimited  ex- 
tent. Salt  can  be  shoveled  up  in  its  crude 
state  on  the  shores  of  Salt  Lake,  and  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  Territory,  is  found  by 
the  mountain,  in  a  remarkably  transparent 
and  pure  state. 

Iron  ore  exists  in  large  quantities  in 
Iron,  Summit  and  Weber  counties.  Coal 
abounds  in  various  parts,  but  the  principal 
mines  now  worked  are  at  Coalville,  in 
Summit  county  and  in  San  Pete.  The  lat- 
ter yields  a  good  quality  of  blacksmith 
coal,  in  large  quantities. 

At  this  time  there  are  about  30  organized 
mining  districts  in  the  Territory.  We  have 
not  the  space  to  devote  to  a  description  of 
the  Biines,  were  we  able ;  they  appear  to  be 
inexhaustible  and  very  rich.  Many 
are  producing  large  quantities  of  ore. 
Fish  cultm-e  has,  since  1874,  been  re- 
ceiving some  attention,  and  a  fish  farm 
with  a  superintendent  thereof,  is  located  a 
few  miles  from  Salt  Lake  City. 

There  are  quite  a  number  of  smelting 
furnaces  in  operation  in  various  parts  of 
the  Territory,  and  in  Salt  Lake  City. 

Utah  was  first  settled  in  1847.  On  the 
24th  of  July,  the  advance  guard  of  the  Mor- 
mon emigration,  numbering  143  men,  en- 
tered Salt  Lake  Valley ;  five  days  later  150 
jnore  men  arrived  under  Captain  Brown, 
and  on  July  31st,  Great  Salt  Lake  City  was 
laid  out.  At  that  time  the  country  be- 
longed to  the  Republic  of  Mexico,  but  by 
the  treaty  of  Gaudaloup  Hidalgo,  in  1848  it 
was  ceded  to  the  United  States. 

The  summers  are  very  warm  and  dry; 
the  winters  mild  and  open.  The  fall  of 
snow  is  light  in  the  valley  and  heavy  in 
the  mountain,  the  melting  of  which  aflords 
ample  water  for  irrigating  the  foot-hills  and 
valleys.  Vegetables  of  all  kinds  grow 
astonishingly  large,  and  of  superior  quality. 


Timber  is  not  very  plenty,  and  then,  is 
only  found  in  the  mountains  of  difficult  ac- 
cess. Returning  to  business ;  at  Ogden,  we 
will  step  into  the  cars  of  the 

Utah  Central  Railroad, 

The  principal  offices  of  which  are  at  Salt 

Lake  City. 

Sidney  DiLiiON President 

John  Shabp Vice-President 

Fbancis  Cope Freight  and  Ticket  Agent 

The  Utah  Central  is  36.5  miles  in  length 
and  the  pioneer  road  of  Utah,  excepting 
the  through  line.  May  17, 1869,  just  one 
week  after  the  "love  feast"  of  the  Union 
and  the  Central  at  Promentory,  ground  was 
broken  at  Ogden,  and  the  enterprise  was 
inau^rated  with  due  ceremonies;  Presi- 
dent Brigham  Young  and  the  chief  digni- 
taries of  the  Mormon  church  being  in  at- 
tendance. 

In  about  half  an  hour  after  the  overland 
trains  arrive  at  Ogden  Junction,  the  cars  of 
this  road  roll  up  to  the  depot  for  passengers. 
When  leaving,  the  train  crosses  the  Weber 
River,  on  a  fine  bridge ;  just  to  the  north  of 
the  depot  passes  through  a  deep  cut  and 
comes  out  on  a  bench  of  land  that  gradually 
slopes  frorn  the  mountains  on  the  left,  to  the 
waters  of  the  lake  on  the  right,  six  and 
four  miles  distant,  respectively. 

From  the  car  window,  on  the  right,  a 
good  view  can  be  had  of  a  portion  of  Great 
Salt  Lake,  but  the  best  view  is  to  be  had 
from  the  top  of  Promontory  Mountain.  See 
Annex  No.  21.  The  first  station  from 
Ogden  is  16  miles  distant,  along  the  sloj). 
ing  land  named,  which  is  covered  above 
the  line  of  irrigation,  with  sage,  but  below 
with  the  thrifty  Mormon  farmers.  A  Wide 
strip  of  land  near  the  Lake  is  valueless, 
owing  to  the  salt  in  the  soil. 

Kaysville — is  an  incorporated  town 
in  Davis  county,  and  is  surrounded  witli 
well-cultivated  farms,  finely  kept  gardens, 
with  water  running  through  the  streets, 
and  has  fruit  and  shrubbery  in  profusion. 

The  county  is  comprised  of  five  towns, 
all,  with  one  exception,  traversed  by  our 
roaJ,  within  the  next  15  miles.  The  county 
has  about  7,000  pojpulation,  seven  flouring 
mills  and  three  saw  mills. 

Farming  TON — is  the  next  station, 
five  miles  distant,  being  the  county  seat  of 
Davis  county,  and  contains  good  county 
buildings,  several  flouring  mills,  and  the 
usual  beautiful  surroundings  of  fruit  tree* 
and  orchards,  for  which  all  Mormon  set- 
tlements are  noted. 


AND    PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


89 


BR1011\M    \OLNO — I   r   ktl   of  11 


Centerville— is  the  next  station,  four 
miles  from  Farmington.  Tlie  description 
of  one  Mormon  village  will  do  for  nearly 
all;  good  farms  and  crops  are  the  rule, 
where  the  land  is  irrigated,  and  none  where 
it  is  not. 

Wood's  Crossing — comes  next,  two 
miles  further,  being  the  station  for  the  lit- 
tle village  of  Bountiful,  on  the  left,  and  is 
in  the  midst  of  the  best  cultivated  and  best 
producing  land  in  the  Territory. 

The  course  of  our  road  from  Ogden  to 
Salt  Lake  is  almost  due  south,  while  the 
Wasatch  Mountains,  for  30  miles,  describe 


a  huge  circle  in  the  middle  to  the  east, 
ward.  The  lower  point  of  this  circle  we 
are  fast  approaching,  and  will  reach  in 
about  two  miles,  just  at  the  point  of  the 
mountain  ahead,  where  steam  is  rising. 
There^  under  the  point  of  that  huge  rock, 
boils  up  a  hot  spring,  in  a  large  volume, 
forming  a  creek  several  feet  in  width,  with 
a  depth  of  six  inches,  and  it  is  'oery  hot 
There  is  n(  nonsense  about  this  spring ;  it 
sends  forth  a  never-failing  stream. 

The  highest  peak  in  the  mountain, 
close  to  the  eastward  of  these  springs  al- 
luded to,  is  1,200  feet  above  the  valley,  and  18 


90 


CROFUTT  S    NEW    OVERLAND    TOURIST 


called  Ensign  Peak — the  "  Mount  of  Proph- 
ecy,"— where  the  late  Prophet,  Brigham 
Young,  was  wont  to  wrestle  with  the  Lord. 

Just  beyond,  on  the  right,  is  Hot  Spring 
Lake,  which  is  formed  from  the  waters  of 
this  and  others  of  lesser  volume,  near  by. 
This  lake  freezes  over  in  the  winter,  except 
near  the  shore  on  the  northeastern  end,  and 
is  a  great  resort  for  skating  parties  from 
Salt  Lake  City.  Great  Salt  Lake  never 
freezes  over — it's  too  salt. 

Passing  the  lake,  our  road  keeps  straight 
across  a  broad  bottom,  while  the  moun- 
tains on  the  left  again  curve  away  to  the 
eastward. 

The  Warm  Spring  buildings,  where  are 
located  the  city  baths,  can  be  seen  beside 
the  mountain  on  the  left,  marked  by  a  con- 
tinuous column  of  steam,  rising  near  the 
buildings. 

These  are  the  disputed  springs,  to  obtain 
possession  of  which,  it  is  supposed  by 
many,  Dr.  Robinson  was  murdered.  The 
baths  are  well  patronized  by  invalids,  who 
visit  them  for  health,  relying  on  their  me- 
dicinal qualities  to  remove  their  ailments. 
The  following  is  an  analysis  of  the  water, 
as  made  by  Dr.  Charles  T.  Jackson,  of 
Boston : 

Three  fluid  ounces  of  the  water  on  evap- 
oration to  entire  dryness  in  a  platina  cap- 
sule gave  8.25  grains  of  solid,  dry,  saline 
matter. 

Carbonate  of  lime  and  magnesia 0.240     1.280 

Per  oxide  of  iron 0.040     0.206 

Lime 0  545     2.907 

Chlorine 3.454    18.421 

Soda 2.877    15.348 

Magnesia 0.370     2.073 

Sulphuric  acid 0.703     8.748 

8.229    43.981 

It  is  slightly  charged  with  hydro-sul- 
phuric acid  gas  and  with  carbonic  acid 
fas,  and  is  a  pleasant  saline  mineral  water, 
aving  valuable  properties  belonging  to 
saline  sulphur  springs.  The  usual  tem- 
perature is  102  degrees  F. 

They  are  one  mile  north  of  Salt  Lake 
City,  and  are  reached  by  street  cars. 

Rolling  on  through  the  northern  suburbs 
of  the  city,  a  little  over  eight  miles  from 
Wood's  Crossing,  we  stop  at  the  depot  in 
Salt  Lake,  the  City  of  Zion.  Passengers 
arriving  at  the  depot  will  find  a  "  Bus  "  at 
the  eastern  gate  that  will  take  a  passenger 
and  his  baggage  to  any  hotel  or  point  in 
the  city  for  50  cents ;  or,  at  the  same  gate, 
street  cars,  that  pass  the  door  of  every 
prominent  hotel  in  the  city ;  fare,  10  cents, 
or  ten  tickets  for  50  cents. 


Salt  liake  City— or  "  Zion,"  as  the 
city  is  often  called  by  the  Mormon  faith- 
ful, is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  pleas- 
antly located  of  cities.  It  is  situated  at  the 
foot  of  a  spur  of  the  Wasatch  Mountains, 
the  northern  limits  extending  on  to  the 
"  bench  "  or  upland,  which  unites  the 
plain  with  the  mountain.  From  the  east 
two  wagon  roads  enter  the  city,  via  Emi- 
grant and  Parley  Canyons. 

The  streets  are  wide,  bordered  with 
shade-trees,  and  laid  out  at  right  angles. 
Along  each  side  of  the  streets  is  a  clear, 
cold  stream  of  water  from  the  mountain 
canyons,  which,  with  the  numerous  shade- 
trees  and  gardens,  give  the  city  an  inde- 
scribable air  of  coolness,  comfort  and  re- 
pose. The  city  contains  a  population  of 
full  25,000,  is  the  capital  of  the  Territory 
and  county  seat  of  Salt  Lake  county. 
It  has  21  wards  within  its  limits,  and 
is  the  terminus  of  four  railroads.  It 
contains  some  as  fine  business  blocks, 
hotels,  and  private  residences — many 
lit  by  electricity— as  can  be  found  in 
any  city  west  of  the  Missouri  River. 

The  Mormon  church,  besides  its  Taber- 
nacle, has  a  bishop  located  in  every  ward 
of  the  city,  who  holds  ward  meetings  regu- 
larly. The  other  churches  hold  services  in 
four  or  more  places  in  the  city.  The  Ma- 
sons have  five  lodges  in  the  city;  the 
Odd  Fellows  four,  and  some  of  the  other 
fellows  several.  There  are  38  mining  and 
smelting  ofllces,  five  sampling  and  smelt- 
ing works,  five  iron  foundries,  boiler  and 
brass  works,  two  flouring  mills,  one  woolen 
mill,  nine  hotels,  six  breweries,  two  exten- 
sive marble  works,  and  a  score  or  mcare  of 
small  manufacturing  establishments. 

There  are  four  daily  newspapers.  The 
Deseret  News  is  the  church  organ,  the  Her- 
ald claims  to  be  independent,  the  TrihuTie 
strong  opposition  Mormon,  and  the  Times. 
Each  of  these  issue  weeklies.  Newspaper 
business  is  very  precarious  in  Utah.  It's 
as  fine  an  opening  for  a  young  man  to  get 
his  "teeth  cut,"  as  we  know  of  in  the 
world — he  can  soon  get  a  double  and  single 
set  all  around. 

In  the  mercantile  line.  Salt  Lake  City 


Tebms  Hkakd  on  the  Plains.—''  Lariat"  is 
the  Spanish  name  for  rope.  "  Bronco,"  Califor- 
nia or  Spanish  pony.  "  Bueano,"  (wa-no)  good. 
"  EstaBueano,"  (star  wa-no)  very  good,  no  better. 
"  No  sabe,"  (sarvey)  don't  understand.  "  Quien 
sabe,"  (kin  earvey)  who  knows,  or  do  yon  under- 
stand. 


AND    PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


91 


has  several  establisliments  that  would  do 
credit  to  any  city  in  the  Union,  one  of 
which  is 


m-wmmim 


The  above  cut  represents  the  Mormon 
"  Co-operative  Sign  " — called  by  the  Gen- 
tiles the  "Bull's  Eye."  At  the  Mormon 
Conference,  in  the  fall  of  1868,  all  good 
Mormon  merchants,  manufacturers  and 
dealers  who  desired  the  patronage  of  the 
Mormon  people,  were  directed  to  place 
this  sign  upon  their  buildings  in  a  conspic- 
uous place,  that  it  might  indicate  to  the 
people  that  they  were  sound  in  the  faith. 

The  Mormon  people  were  also  directed 
and  warned  not  to  purchase  goods  or  in 
any  manner  deal  with  those  who  refused 
or  did  not  have  the  sign.  The  object 
seemed  to  be  only  to  deal  with  their  own 
people,  to  the  exclusion  of  all  others. 

The  result  of  these  measures  on  the  part 
of  the  church  was  to  force  many  who 
were  Gentiles  or  apostate  Mormons  to 
sacrifice  their  goods,  and  leave  the  Terri- 
tory for  want  of  patronage .  However,  the 
order  was  not  very  strictly  enforced^r 
complied  with;  yet  many  of  these  signs 
are  to  be  seen  in  Salt  Lake  City  and  other 
parts  of  the  Territory  on  buildings  occupied 
by  the  faithful. 

To  more  effectually  carry  out  the  plan 
of  co-operation,  one  great  company  was  to 
be  formed  to  purchase  goods  in  large 
quantities  and  establish  branches  through- 
out all  the  Mormon  settlements.    Such  a 


company  was  organized,  and  incorporated 
with  many  high  Mormon  dignitaries  as 
either  stockholders  or  officers,  and  it  is  now 
known  as  *'  Zion's  Co-operative  Mercantile 
Institution" — with  headquarters  in  Salt 
Lake  City. 

The  "Z.  C.  M.  I,"  undoubtedly  have  the 
finest  and  largest  building  in  the  city.  It 
is  of  brick,  318  feet  long,  53  feet  in  width, 
three  stories  and  cellar,  and  finished 
throughout  in  the  best  manner.  It  also 
has  an  addition  35  by  195  feet,  and  used 
for  a  warehouse;  cost,  $175,000,  built  of 
iron,  stone  and  glass,  and  is  now  being 
enlarged.  The  Walker  Bros,  have  the 
largest  Mercantile  business  in  Utah, 
requiring  five  different  departments, 
each  occupying  a  large  building. 

Think  of  it,  "0  ye  people  1"  35  years 
ago  this  whole  country  1,000  miles  m  any 
direction,  was  uninhabited  and  almost  un- 
known to  the  white  race.Now  annual  sales 
of  these  two  establishments  exceed  $5,000,- 
000,  and  with  their  goods,  gathered  here 
from  all  parts  of  the  world,  stand  forth  as 
monuments  of  American  enterprise,  in  an 

AMERICAN  DESERT. 

The  late  President  Brigham  Young's 
residence  (see  illustration,  page  89,  also 
of  "Eagle  Gate,"  page  109),  tithing 
house,  printing  office  and  business  offi- 
ces connected  with  the  church  occupy 
an  entire  block,  on  the  bench  of  land  over- 
looking the  city,  which  is  one  of  the  first 
objects  of  interest  visited  by  the  traveler  on 
arriving  in  Salt  Lake  City. 

The  traveler  who  visited  this  city  some 
years  ago — before  the  discovery  of  the 
rich  silver  mmes — would  be  surprised  by 
a  visit  now,  at  the  remarkable  changes 
noticeable  on  every  hand ;  all  is  life  and 
energy ;  everybody  seems  to  have  a  pocket- 
ful of  certificates  of  mining  property,  and 
you  hear  of  extensive  preparations  making 
on  every  side  with  a  view  to  a  vigorous 
prosecution  of  various  mining  enterprises. 

The  public  buildings  are  not  very  numer- 
ous. They  consist  of  a  court-house,  city 
hall,  city  prison,  theatre,  and 

The  Tabernacle — an  immense  build- 
ing— the  first  object  one  beholds  on  enter- 
ing the  city.  The  building  is  oblong  in 
shape,  having  a  length  of  250  feet  from 
east  to  west,  by  150  feet  in  width.  The 
roof  is  supported  by  46  columns  of  cut 
sandstone,  which,  with  the  spaces  between,, 
used  for  doors,  windows,  etc,  constitute  the 
wall.  From  these  pillars  or  walls,  the- 
reof springs  in  one  unbroken  arch,  form- 


92 


CROFUTT  S  NEW  OVERLAND  TOURIST 


ing  the  largest  self-sus- 
taining roof  on  the  con- 
tinent, with  one  notable 
exception,  the  Grand 
Union  Depot,  NewYork. 
The  ceiling  of  the  roof  is 
€5  ft.  above  the  floor.  In 
one  end  of  this  egg- 
shaped  building  is  the 
organ,  the  second  in  size 
in  America.  The  Taber- 
nacle is  used  for  church 
purposes,  as  well  as  oth- 
er large  gatherings  of 
the  people.  With  the  gal- 
lery it  will  seat  8,000  peo- 
ple. See  illustration,  p. 
69^1so  interior  view,  85. 

TheTempl  e.— This 
building  is  not  yet  com- 
pleted, but  work  is  pro- 
gressing steadily,  and  it 
IS  up  about  30  ft,  The  di- 
mensions of  the  f ounda- 
tion  are  99xl86i feet.  The 
site  of  the  Temple  is  on 
the  eastern  half  of  the 
same  block  with  the 
Tabernacle. 

Since  the    advent  of  ^^^ 

Tailroads  into  Utah  and  the  discovery 
of  rich  mines,  church  property  has  not 
accumulated  very  rapidly.  Within  the 
past  few  years  nearly  all  the  religious 
denominations  have  secured  a  foot- 
hold in  this  city. 

Fort  Douglas— a  military  post,  es- 
tablished Oct.  26,  1862,  by  Gen.  E.  P. 
Conner,  Third  Regiment  of  California 
Volunteer  Infantry,  is  situated  on  the 
east  side  of  the  Jordan,  4  miles  from 
that  stream,  3  miles  east  of  the  City  of 
Salt  Lake,  and  15  miles  southeast  of 
Salt  Lake.  Latitude  40  deg.  46  min.  2 
sec. :  longitude.  111  deg.  53  min.  34  sec. 
Its  location  is  on  a  sloping  upland  or 
bench  at  the  base  of  the  mountains  and 
overlooking  the  city,  and  affords  a  fine 
view  of  the  country  to  the  west  and 
south. 

Jordan  River.— This  stream,  which 
"borders  salt  Lake  City  on  the  west,  is 
the  outlet  of  Utah  Lake,  which  lies 
about  40  miles  south.  It  empties  into 
the  Great  Salt  Lake,  about  12  miles 
northwest  of  the  city. 

There  are  a  great  many  hotels  in 
'Salt  Lake  City,  but  the  principal  ones 
.are  the  Walker,  Continental,  White, 


MON   TEMPLE,  SALT   LAKE  CITY. 

Cliff,  Valley  and  Overland.  The  two 
former  are  under  the  management  of 
G.  S.  Erb,  Esq.,  and  we  know  them  to 
be  first-Glass. 

"the  picture  of  the  late  President 
BrighamYoung  on  page  89,was  the  last 
one  ever  taken.  It  was  made  by  Mr. 
Savage  of  Salt  Lake  City,  an  eminent 
artist  and  is  said  to  be  a  very  accu- 
rate picture. 

For  sketch  of  the  life  of  Brigham 
Young,  see  Annex  25, 


We  will  now  take  a  Tun  over  all 
the  railroads  in  Utah,  commencing 
with  the 

Utah  Jl^onthern  Railroad. 

This  road  was  consolidated  in  1881 
with  the  Utah  Central.  It  was  com- 
menced May  1st,  1871,  and  built  thir- 
teen miles  during  the  year,  to  Sandy, 
and  then  extended  from  time  to  time 
until  at  this  time,  January,  1882,  it  is 
completed  226  miles  south,  to  Frisco. 
The  cars  start  from  the  same  depot 
as  the  Central. 
We  will  step  on  board  and  roll  south- 
ward through  the  city— passing  fine 


AND    PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


residences,  beautiful  gardens,  thrifty  or- 
chards, and  well-cultivated  fields,  with  the 
Jordan  River  on  our  right,  the  Oquirrh 
range  of  mountains  far  in  the  distance, 
and  the  towering  Wasatch  Mountains  on 
our  left ;  this  is  Jordan  Valley.  This  val- 
ley extends  from  Salt  Lake  City,  south,  to 
Utah  Lake,  about  40  miles  distant,  with  a 
varying  width  of  from  two  to  twelve  miles. 

About  five  miles  south,  on  the  left,  is 
situated  the  Morgan  Smelting  Works,  on 
the  creek  that  comes  down  from  Big  Cot- 
tonwood, and  opposite  Parley  Canyon, 
which  can  be  seen  on  the  east,  just  below 
the  mouth  of  which  is  located  the  State 
Penitentiary,  and  the  Utah  Woolen  Mill. 

Crossing  the  creek,  and  passing  on  seven 
miles  from  the  city,  we  come  to 

Little  Cottonwood — the  first  station. 
On  the  left  are  the  Wasatch  Smelting 
Works,  and  a  little  beyond  the  American 
Smelting  Works.  Just  after  crossing  the 
Little  Cottonwood  Creek,  on  the  right,  is 
the  big  Germania  Smelting  and  Refining 
Works,  with  the  town  of  Germania,  con- 
tainmg  500  inhabitants. 

Passing  along,  on  the  right,  can  be  seen 
^reat  piles  of  silver  ore — "  matte  "  as  it  is 
•called. 

From  this  point  the  mountain  view  is 

fraud;  to  the  eastward,  the  canyons  of 
'arley,  Mill  Creek,  Big  and  Little  Cotton- 
wood, and  Dry  Creek,  are  all  in  view. 

The  country  here  shows  what  irriga- 
tion is  doing  for  it ;  there  can  be  no  finer 
lands  or  crops  than  are  here  found.  In 
every  direction  the  land  is  covered  with  a 
labyrinth  of  canals  and  ditches,  conduct- 
ing the  essence  of  life  to  all  vegetation  be- 
neath them,  and  literally  causing  the  land 
to  flow  with  "  milk  and  honey." 

Five  miles  further  we  come  to 

Junction— a  small  station,  where  all 
passengers  for  West  Mountain,  Bingham 
Canyon  Mines,  and  the  vicinity,  "  change 
cars  "  for  those  of  the 

Bingham  Canyon  Railroad. 

[In  1882  this  road  became  a  brancn  or  tlie 
Denver  &  Kio  Grande  Western,  and  is  operated 
In  connection  with  their  through  line.] 

This  road  is  a  three-foot  narrow  gauge, 
completed  to  the  mouth  of  Bingham  Can- 
yon, 16  miles  west,  and  had  cars  running 
December  1st,  1873.  Let  us  take  a  roll 
over  it. 

Leaving  the  junction,  our  course  is  due 
west,  through  a  well-cultivated  section  of 
•country. 


Jordan  Station — is  one  mile  distant, 
where  there  is  a  postofiice,  and  a  small 
collection  of  cottages.  Near  by,  a  track 
leads  off  to  the  Old  Telegraph  Smelter, 
the  dressing  works  of  which  are  a  short 
distance  below  the  road,  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  Jordan  River,  which  we  cross 
soon  after  leaving  the  station. 

Just  as  we  raise  on  to  the  west  bank  of 
the  Jordan,  we  come  to  the  residence  of 
Bishop  Gardner,  who  is  the  "better half" 
of  eleven  wives.  The  Bishop  appears  to 
stand  it  pretty  well,  although  they  do  say 
that  he  is  occasionally  found  singing,  "  Oa 
Jordan's  stormy,  banks  I  stand,"  with  a 
tear  accompaniment. 

West  Jordan — is  on  the  west  bank  of 
the  river  and  contains  a  few  hundred  peo- 
pie.  From  this  station,  the  grade  in- 
creases, and  soon  we  reach  a  high  table- 
land, too  high  for  irrigation  by  ditches, 
without  great  expense.  Bunchgrass,  white 
sage,  sheep,  some  cattle,  and  Jack-rabbits 
abound — the  latter  are  very  numerous. 

The  road,  about  five  miles  from  the 
river,  enters  the  long,  broad  ravine  that 
leads  to  Bingham,  up  which  we  roll — the 
ravine  gradually  becoming  narrower  as 
we  ascend.  Occasionally  we  pass  a  little 
farm-house,  and  a  few  acres  of  farm  and 
garden  land.  Nearing  the  mountains,  the 
ravine  narrows,  to  a  few  hundred  feet,  and 
finally  to  onl^  sufficient  room  for  the  rail- 
road and  a  little  creek,  between  the  bluff's 
on  each  side. 

These  bluffs  are  from  250  to  1,000  feet  in 
height,  covered  with  small  stone,  sage,  and 
a  few  small  pine  trees. 
^  As  we  ascend,  the  bluffs  are  more  pre- 
cipitous, higher  and  pierced  in  numerous 
places  with  "  prospect  holes."  In  places 
the  gi-ade  is  120  feet,  and  then,  more,  and 
finally  it  becomes  too  much  for  our  iron 
horse,  and  we  stop  at  the  end  of  the  steam 
road,  one  mile  below 

Bingham  City — population  about 
2,000.  Just  below  the  city  is  located  on 
the  left,  the  Winnemucca  mill  and  mine. 
We  know  it  is  there,  as  we  "  prospected  "  it 
once — about  30  feet. 

Bingham  City  is  built  along  the  canyon 
for  two  miles,  and  contains  a  number  of 
mills  and  works  connected  with  mining. 
From  the  station,  a  tramway  up  which 
small  ore  cars  are  hauled  with  mules, 
extends  up  the  canjon  for  three  miles, 
with  a  branch  running  back  from  about 
half  the  distance  up  to  a  mine  on  the  top  of 
the  mountain,  about  one  and  a  half  miles 


94 


CROFUTT'S  NEW  OVERLAND  TOURIST 


further,  making  of  tramway  43^  miles; 
whole  length  of  road  203^  miles. 

The  tramway  is  built  on  the  south  side 
of  the  canyon,  away  up  on  the  side  of  the 
mountain.  From  the  cars  can  be  had  a 
fine  view  of  the  canyon,  Bingham,  the 
mines  and  mills  in  the  neighboring  ravines 
and  on  the  opposite  mountain  side,  and  the 
miners  at  the  bottom  of  the  canyon,  working 
over  the  old  "  placer  diggings," 

Atthe  end  of  this  tramway  is  located  the 
old  Telegraph  mine,  one  of  the  richest  in 
the  Territory,  from  which  over  200  tons  of 
ore  a  day  is  shipped,  down  over  the  tram 
and  railroad  to  the  smelters  in  the  valley. 
The  cars  are  hauled  up  by  mules,  and  low- 
ered down  to  the  "  iron  horse"  below  Bing- 
ham by  the  car  brakes. 

The  mines  are  numerous  in  and  around 
Bingham,  but  we  have  not  the  space  for  a 
description  of  them,  but  will  return  to  the 
junction  on  the  Utah  Southern,  and  one 
mile  further  arrive  at 

Sandy — This  station  is  13  miles  south  of 
Salt  Lake  City,  and  one  of  considerable  im- 
portance. 

At  Sandy  is  to  be  seen  immense  quanti- 
ties of  ore — ore  in  sacks,  ore  loose  by  the 
car  load,  ore  in  warehouses  500  feet  long, 
with  a  train  unloading  on  one  side  and  an- 
other loading  on  the  other ;  in  fact,  this  is 
the  greatest  shipping,  smelting  and  sam- 
pling point  in  all  Utah. 

At  Sandy  are  three  sampling  works,  and 
two  smelting  works,  and  a  lively  town  of 
700  inhabitants,  the  greater  portion  em- 
ployed in  the  handling  and  manipulation 
of  ores.  Here  we  find  another  railroad 
branching  off;  this  time  it  is  the 

liFasatcli  &  Jordan  Valley. 

[In  1882  this  road  passed  to  the  control  of  the 
Denver  &  Rio  Grande  Western,  and  is  now  oper- 
ated in  connection  with  their  through  line.] 

This  road  is  a  three-foot  narrow-gauge, 
16  miles  in  length,  running  to  Alta,  at  the 
head  of  Little  Cottonwood  Canyon.  It  is 
operated  by  narrow  gauge  steam  engines 
for  8.5  miles,  and  the  other  7.5  by  broad 
aauge  iRulea.  The  road  was  commenced 
in  1870,  finished  to  Wasatch  in  1872,  and  to 
Alta  in  1876.  Let  us  take  a  trip  over  it  and 
note  a  few  of  the  sights. 

From  Sandy  the  train  runs  north  a  short 
distance,  and  then  turns  to  the  east,  directly 
for  the  Wasatch  Mountains,  leavingthe  old 
Flagstaff  smelter  on  the  left-hand  side  of 
the  track,  just  above  the  station.  The 
grade  is  heavy,  the  soil  is  stony,  and  cov- 


ered more  or  less  with  sage-brush,  and 
traversed  by  irrigating  ditclies  conveying 
the  water  to  a  more  productive  and  less 
stony  soil  below. 

Nearing  the  mountains,  about  six  miles 
from  Sandy,  we  come  to  a  deep  gorge  on 
the  left,  through  which  Little  Cottonwood 
Creek  has  worn  its  way  to  the  valley.  From 
this  point  we  bear  away  to  the  southward 
around  a  low  butte,  then  turn  again  to  the 
east  and  north wai'd  and  run  along  on  an. 
elevated  plateau  where  a  most  beautiful 
view  can  be  had.  On  the  west,  the  Jordan 
Valley,  in  all  its  magnificent  shades  of 
green  and  gold,  is  at  our  feet,  with  the 
brown  old  mountains  bordering  the  hori- 
zon in  the  distance.  To  the  north,  fifteen 
miles  away,  over  as  beautiful  a  succession  of 
little  streams,  well-cultivated  fields,  white 
cottages,  orchards  and  gardens,  as  are  to  be 
found  within  the  same  number  of  miles  in 
this  country — sleeps  *'Zioa"  in  full  view, 
embowered  in  green,  with  the  dome  of  the 
monster  Tabernacle  glistening  like  some 
half-obscured  "silvi  moon,"  sinking^  at 
the  mountain  base ;  while  far  beyond,  and 
more  to  the  westward,  lays  the  Great  Salt 
Lake— a  mysterious  problem.  Away  to 
the  south,  is  Utah  Lake,  looking  like  one 
large  sheet  of  burnish f^d  silver,  surrounded 
by  a  net-work  of  green  and  gold,  while  to 
the  cast  looms  up  towering  granite  walls, 
cleft  from  summit  to  base,  forming  a  nar. 
row  §orge  only  Qufl[icient.y  wide  to  allow 
our  little  road  to  be  built  beside  a  little 
rippling  creek  of  crystal  water. 

Rolling  along,  our  train  rounds  the  head 
of  a  ravine,  through  a  deep  cut,  passes  the 
old  Davenport  Smelting  Works  on  the 
left,  enters  the  mouth  of  the  canyon  be- 
tween great  walls  of  granite,  crosses  and  re- 
crosses' the  little  cr  ek,  and  soon  stops  at 

Wasatch — the  end  ol  the  steam  road, 
8.5  miles  from  Sandy  Junction.  This  is  a 
small  station  with  postoffice,  store,  and  a 
few  dwellings  containing  a  population  of 
about  100,  more  than  half  of  whom  are  en- 
gaged in  the  stone  quarries  on  the  north 
side  of  the  station. 

At  Wasatch  all  the  granite  is  got  out  and 
shaped  for  the  Temple  in  Salt  Lake  City. 
The  stone  is  the  best  yet  discovered  in  the 
Territory,  being  of  close,  fine  grain,  of 
light  gray  color,  and  of  beautiful  birds-eye 
appearance.  The  granite  on  the  south  side 
appears  much  darker  than  that  on  the 
north  side  of  the  canyon. 

From  almost  every  nook  and  crevice  of 
these  mountain  cliffs— from  the  station  away 


AND    PACIFIC    COAST   GUIDE. 


95 


up  tlie  canyon — grow  small  pines,  cedars, 
ferns,  and  mosses,  which,  in  connection 
with  the  gray  walls,  snow-capped  moun- 
tains, glistening  waterfalls,  pure  air  and 
golden  sun,  presents  a  picture  of  rare 
beauty. 

Just  above,  on  the  left  of  the  station, 
away  up  on  a  projecting  cliff,  1,000  feet 
above  the  road,  stands  a  granite  column 
which  measures  66%  feet  in  height,  from 
the  pedestal-like  cliff  on  which  it  stands. 
On  each  side  of  this  column,  and  receding 
from  its  base,  is  a  little  grotto-park,  filled 
with  nature's  evergreens,  and  surrounded 
on  three  sides  and  on  the  top  with  rocks  of 
every  size  and  shape. 

Finding  that  this  granite  column  has 
had  no  name,  we  name  it  "Humphry's 
Peak,"  in  honor  of  the  very  gentlemanly 
late  superintendent  of  the  road. 

At  Wasatch  we  "  change  cars,"  taking 
those  of  about  the  size  of  an  ordinary 
hand-car,  fitted  up  with  seats  that  will  com- 
fortably accommodate  about  nine  persons, 
besides  the  knight  of  the  whip — ^who  chir- 
rups the  "  broad  gauge  mules." 

About  a  half-mile  above  the  station  we 
enter  the  snow-sheds,  which  will  continue 
for  seven  miles,  to  the  end  of  the  track  at 

Alt  A— a  small  mining  town,  at  the  head 
of  little  Cottonwood  Canyon.  The  end  of 
the  track  is  on  the  side  of  the  mountain 
about  200  feet  above  the  town  of  Alta,  and 
about  500  feet  below  the  mouth  of  the  cele- 
brated Emma  Mine,  whic^^  is  a  little  fur- 
ther to  the  east,  and  oppos>  c  the  Flagstaff 
Mine,  which  is  about  the  same  height 
above  the  road. 

The  town  of  Alta  is  at  the  bottom  of  the 
canyon  200  feet  lower  than  the  end  of  the 
railroad  sun*ounded  with  mountain  peaks, 
which  are  covered  with  snow  eight  months 
of  the  year,  and  at  all  times  surrounded 
with  an  eternal  mantle  of  evergreen.  It 
contains  about  500  population,  all  of 
whom  are  engaged  in  mining  and  kindred 
pursuits.  There  are  several  stores,  express, 
telegraph,  and  postoffice,  besides  several 
small  hotels,  chief  of  which  is  the  Adolph. 

To  the  north,  over  the  mountain  two 
miles  is  the  Big  Cottonwood  Canyon ;  to 
the  south,  three  miles,  is  the  Miller  Mine, 
and  American  Fork  Canyon ;  Forest  City  is 
four  miles.  Three  miles  east  by  trail  is 
Crystal  Lake,  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water 
— the  angler's  paradise. 

The  principal  mines  near  Alta  are,  the 
Emma,  Flagstaff,  Grizzly,  Nabob,  Kate 
Hays,  Consolidated  Alta,  Laramie,  Prince 


of  Wales,  and  1,800  others,  located  within 
five  miles.  The  business  of  the  railroad 
is  the  transportation  of  ores  and  supplies 
to  and  from  the  mines.  Hundreds  of  cars 
are  loaded  dail^  with  ore  that  is  taken  to 
the  valley  to  be  smelted  or  are  sent  to  San 
Francisco,  the  East,  or  to  Swansea,  Wales. 

For  novel  methods  of  hauling  ore  to  the 
depot,  see  Annex  No.  24. 

The  sheds  over  the  railroad  are  seven 
miles  in  length,  and  are  made  in  various 
styles  of  architecture,  more  for  business 
than  beauty,  the  style  being  adopted  accord- 
ing to  circumstances.  They  are,  however,  in 
all  places  constructed  of  heavy  material, 
rocks,  round  or  sawed  timber,  and  built  in 
the  most  substantial  manner.  Inone  place 
they  are  in  the  shape  of  a  letter  A,  sharp 
peaked ;  in  other  places,  nearly  upright  on 
each  side,  one  side  higher  than  the  other, 
with  a  sloping  roof.  Again  the  lower  hill- 
side is  built  with  a  little  slope  toward  the 
up  hill  side,  and  long  heavy  timbers  from 
the  top  of  these  uprights  slope  up  onto  the 
mountain  side,  resting  on  a  solid  granite 
foundation  leveled  to  a  uniform  grade, 
for  that  purpose. 

Where  the  latter  plan  has  been  adopted, 
there  is  danger  of  snow-slides  which  are 
more  likely  to  occur,  in  fact,  have  occurred  a 
number  of  times  since  the  sheds  were  con- 
structed, and  each  time,  the  snow  and  rocks 
passed  over  the  shed  into  the  canyon  below, 
without  causing  one  cent's  worth  of  damage 
to  the  road  or  shed. 

The  length  of  this  road,  where  it  is  oper- 
ated with  mules,  is  seven  miles  long.  As 
before  stated,  the  grade  is  600  feet  to  the 
mile ;  the  curves  are  in  places  80  degrees, 
and  not,  as  once  stated  in  the  "  Railway 
Age,^''  30  curves  and  600  foot  gauge.  But  we 
suppose  that  Col.  Bridges,  when  he  wrote 
that,  was  thinking  about  those  "broad 
gauge  mules." 

Returning,  the  mule  power  that  took  us 
up  is  no  longer  in  demand ;  the  knight  of 
the  whip  now  mans  the  brakes,  and  away  we 
go  around  the  Age's  30  curves,  to  the  valley 
below,  "change  cars"  at  Sandy,  and  are 
once  more  headed  for  the  south,  on  the 
Utah  Southern  railroad.  A  short  distance 
south,  we  pass  the  Mcintosh  Sampling  mill, 
on  the  west  and  another  on  the  east. 

Sampling  is  testing  such  ores  as  are  pre- 
sented in  quantities  sufficient  to  enable 
the  sampling  company  to  give  certificates 
of  their  value,  and  then  the  ore  is  sold  at 
the  certificate  rates.  One  mile  further  is 
the  Mingo  Smelter  of  the  Penn.  Lead  Co. 


96 


CBOPUTT'S    NEW    OVERLAND    TOURIST 


The  land,  is  more  rolling,  as  we  approach 

Draper — This  is  not  a  very  important 
station  to  the  tourist,  but  to  the  few  vil- 
lagers of  Herramon,  at  the  mouth  of  a  little 
canyon  beside  the  mountains  on  the  left, 
it  is  a  Mg  institution.  Draper  is  four  miles 
from  Sandy  and  seventeen  from  Salt  Lake 
City. 

Leaving  Draper,  our  course  is  east  and 
after  crossing  South  Willow  Creek,  turns 
more  to  the  south,  and  finally  to  the  west, 
having  kept  around  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
tains, which  here  make  a  full  half-circle. 
In  the  distance  around,  there  are  many  cuts 
and  some  hard  work,  and  we  queriedf,  why 
the  road  was  built  around,  when  the  work 
was  so  heavy  and  the  distance  much  further 
than  across  where  there  was  very  little 
work  to  be  done?  In  answer,  we  were 
told  that  President  Brigham  Young  laid 
out  the  road  around  the  side  of  the  moun- 
tain, by  "  revelations  If  that  is  so,  we  con- 
clude that  the  revelation  came  from  the 
same  "  deity  "  that  took  our  Savior  up  on 
the  Mount,  but  as  it  is  not  "  our  funeral," 
we  will  not  criticise. 

The  lower  point  of  the  great  curve  is 
called  the  ''Point  of  theMountain."  At  the 
point  where  the  railroad  is  built  around, 
the  track  is  about  300  feet  above  a  little 
round  valley  to  the  west,  in  which  is  lo- 
cated a  hot  spring,  marked  by  a  brown 
burned  patch  of  land  and  rising,  steam 

As  our  train  curves  around  this  point,  a 
most  charming  view  can  be  had ;  one  of  the 
finest  on  the  road.  The  valley  is  here 
nearer,  to  the  northward  the  view  in  unob- 
structed for  50  miles ;  to  the  south,  Utah 
Lake,  a  gem  in  rich  setting,  and  the  great 
Lower  Basins. 

Passing  through  numerous  cuts  and 
around  ihe  point,  the  train  curves  again  to 
the  eastward,  and  starts  again  on  another 
grand  curve  around  the  rim  of  the  basin,  in 
which  is  located  Utah  Lake,  in  plain  view. 

Nearly  opposite  the  "  point  of  the  moun- 
tain"  is  a  low  divide  in  the  Oquirrh  Range 
on  the  west,  over  which  the  road  leads  to 
Camp  Floyd. 

Continuing  along  through  sand  cuts, 
sage  and  an  occasional  farm,"l4  miles  from 
Draper  we  arrive  at 

Lehi — This  town  is  situated  in  the  midst 
of  a  perfect  forest  of  fruit  trees,  orchards  and 
gardens,  with  the  waters  of  Dry  Canyon 
Creek  running  through  all  the  streets,  and 
contains  a  population  of  about  1,500,  includ- 
ing those  living  in  the  immediate  vicinity. 
The  good  results  of  irrigating  sage-brush 


land,  are  here  demonstrated  by  the  large 
crops  of  wheat,  oats,  barley  and  vegetables 
produced,  where,  before  the  land  was  irri- 
gated, nothing  but  sage-brush  and  grease^ 
wood  were  to  be  seen. 

Three  miles  further  is 

American  Fork — a  station  34  miles 
from  Salt  Lake  City — the  "  banner  "  town 
for  free  schools;  the  prst  in  the  Terri- 
tory, having  been  established  here  in  1869. 
The  streets  are  wide,  with  the  waters  of 
Deer  Creek,  which  comes  down  the  Amer- 
ican Fork  Canyon,  running  through  them, 
and  the  orchards,  gardens  and  farms  in  the 
neighborhood  making  an  attractive  and 
beautiful  town.  The  population  numbers 
about  1,600,  the  greater  portion  of  whom 
are  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  The 
American  Fork  House,  opposite  the  sta- 
tion, is  the  principal  hotel,  and  Robert 
Keppeneck  is  one  of  the  joUiest  of  German 
hosts. 

To  the  southwest  of  the  station,  a  com- 
pany is  engaged  in  building  a  dam  across 
the  Jordan  River  for  irrigating  purposes. 
The  canal  is  to  be  22  feet  wide  on  the  bot- 
tom and  30  inches  deep,  and  when  comple- 
ted will  extend  north  20  miles,  winding 
around  the  base  of  the  Wasatch,  near  our 
road,  keeping  as  far  up  on  the  side  of  the 
mountain  as  possible.  From  the  dam,  a  ca- 
nal will  be  taken  out  for  the  west  side  of  the 
Jordan,  with  a  view  of  taking  the  water  all 
over  the  lands  as  far  north  as  Salt  Lake 
City,  and  if  possible,  reclaim  the  vast  tract 
of  sage  land  between  the  Jordan  River  at 
Salt  Lake  City,  and  the  Oquirrh  Range,  at 
the  foot  of  Salt  Lake. 

From  this  station  a  road  branches  off  to 
the  eastward,  up  American  Fork  Canyon, 
called  the 

American  Fork  Railroad. 

[Since  the  following  description  was  written, 
the  iron  track  of  this  road  has  been  removed,  and 
the  road  abandoned.] 

This  was  a  three-foot,  narrow  gauge  rail- 
road, 15  miles  in  length ;  commenced  May, 
1872,  and  completed  12  miles  during  the 
year.  The  grade  for  the  whole  distance  is 
heavy,  in  places  312  feet  to  the  mile. 

Leaving  the  station  at  American  Fork, 
the  road  turns  directly  to  the  east,  and  fol- 
lows up  Deer  Creek,  through  a  general  as- 
sortment of  sage  brush,  sand  ana  boulders, 
for  six  miles  to  the  mouth  of  the  Canjron. 
On  the  way  up,  to  the  right,  a  fine  view 
can  be  had  of  Mt.  Aspinwall,  rising  from 
the  lower  range  of  the  Wasatch  to  an  alti- 


AND    PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


9^ 


THE    LATE  BRIGHAM   YOUNG'S   RESIDKNCE. 


tude  of  11,011  feet  above  the  sea. 

From  the  mouth  of  the  canyon,  about 
two  miles  north,  is  the  little  village  of  Al- 
pine, containing  about  350  agriculturalists. 

Entering  the  canyon,  the  passage  is 
quite  narrow  between  the  towering  cliffs, 
which  rise  up  in  sharp  peaks  600  feet  in 
height,  leaving  only  about  100  feet  be- 
tween, through  which  the  road  is  built, 
and  a  sparkling  little  stream  comes  rip- 
pling  down ;  the  road,  on  its  way  up,  cross- 
ing and  re-crossing  the  stream  many  times. 

Our  train  is  rapidly  climbing,  but  the 
canyon  walls  seem  to  be  much  more  rap- 
idly rising,  and  at  a  distance  of  one,  two 
and  three  miles,  gain  an  additional  500 
feet,  until,  in  places,  they  are  full  2,500  feet 
above  the  road  bed.  In  places  these 
cliffs  are  pillared  and  castelated  granite,  in 
others,  of  slate,  shale  and  conglomerate, 
seamed  in  places  as  though  built  up  •  from 
the  bed  of  the  canyon  by  successive  layers, 
some  as  thin  as  a  knife  blalde,  others  much 
thicker;  then  again,  the  rocks  have  the 
appearance  of  iron  slag,  or  dark  colored 
lava  suddenly  cooled,  presenting  to  the 
eye  every  conceivable  angle  and  fan- 
tastic shape — a  continuous,  ever-changing 
panorama. 

Imagine,  then,  this  canvon  with  its 
grottoes,  amphitheatres,  and  its  towering 
crags,  peaks,  and  needle-pointed  rocks,  tow- 
enngfar  above  the  road,  overhanging  it  in 


places,  with  patches  of  eternal  snow  in  the 
gloomy  gorges  near  the  summit,  and  clothed 
at  all  times  in  a  mantle  of  green,  the  pine, 
spruce  and  cedar  trees  growing  in  all  the 
nooks  and  gulches  and  away  np  on  the  sum- 
mit; then  countless  mosses  and  ferns  cling- 
ing to  each  crevice  and  seam  where  a  foot- 
hold can  be  secured,  together  with  the  mil- 
lions  of  flowers  of  every  hue ;  where  the  sun*8 
rays  are  sifted  through  countless  objects  on 
their  way  to  the  silvery,  sparkling  stream 
below,  with  its  miniature  cascades  and  ed- 
dies. We  say  imagine  all  these  things,  and 
then  you  will  only  have  a  faint  outline  of 
the  wild  and  romantic,  picturesque  and 
glorious  American  Fork  Canyon. 

Proceeding  on  up,  up,  around  sharp 
crags,  under  the  very  overhanging  moun- 
tains, we  pass  "  Lion  Rock  "  on  the  right, 
and  *'  Telescope  Peak  "  on  the  left.  In  the 
top  of  the  latter  is  a  round  aperture, 
through  whichL  the  sky  beyond  can  be 
plainly  seen ;  thfe  hole  is  called  the  *'  Dev- 
il's Eye." 

About  three  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the 
canyon,  on  the  left,  we  come  to  Hanging 
Rock.  (See  illustration  page  15.)  Close 
above,  on  the  same  side,  is  a  very  large 
spring,  and  almost  immediately  opposite 
"Sled-runner  Curve;" — an  inverted  vein  of 
rock  in  the  side  of  the  perpendicular  cliff, 
resembling  a  sled-runner — possibly  this  is 
the  Devil's  sled-runner ;  who  knows  ?  Along 


crofutt's  new  overland  tourist. 


here  the  rock  seams  are  badly  mixed, 
and  run  at  all  angles— horizontal,  lon- 
gitudinal and  "through  other."  Haif- 
a-mile farther  we  come  to  "Eainbow 
Cliff,"  on  the  right ;  opposite,  a  narrow 
peak  rises  sharp,  like  a  knife-blade, 
300  ft. ;  a  little  farther  on  to  the  right, 
comes  in  the  South  Fork,  on  which  are 
several  saw  mills.  Keeping  to  the  left, 
and  soon  after  passing  the  SouthFork 
a  look  back  down  this  wonderful  canon 
affords  one  of  the  grandest  of  views ; 
we  cannot  describe  it,  but  will  have  it 
engraved  for  future  volumes.  One 
mile  farther,  and  the  train  stops  at  the 
end  of  the  track,  at 

Deer  Creek.— Near  this  station  the 
hills  are  bare  of  trees,  but  covered 
with  shrubs  of  different  kinds,  sage 
and  moss  predominating ;  the  gulches 
and  ravines  bear  stunted  pine  and 
aspen  trees.  The  chief  business  of  this 
road  was  in  connection  with  the  mines 
above,  among  which  are  the  Smelter's 
Sultana,  Wild  Dutchman,  Treasure, 


and  Pittsburgh.  The  Miller  Smelting 
Works  are  four  miles  farther  up  and 
the  mines  seven. 

Opposite  the  station,  in  a  cosy  little 
nook,  is  located  the  Mountain  Glen 
House,  where  the  tourist  will  find  his 
wants  anticipated,  and  plans  can  be 
matured  for  a  ramble  over  the  moun- 
tain peaks;  and  there  are  a  number  of 
little  tours  that  can  be  made  from  this 
point  each  day  that  will  well  pay  for  a 
week's  time  devoted  to  this  locality. 

When  returning  to  the  valley,  then 
it  is  that  the  view  is  most  grand,  and 
the  ride  one  beyond  the  powers  of 
man  with  his  best  goose-quill  to  de- 
scribe. Make  the  tour  of  the  Ameri- 
can Fork,  and  our  word  for  it,  it  will 
live  in  pleasant  memory  while  the  sun 
of  life  descends  upon  a  ripe  old  age. 

At  American  Fork  station  we  again 
enter  the  cars  on  the  Utah  Seuthern, 
and  start  once  more  for  the  south. 
Kolling  along  three  miles  brings  our 
train  to 


DONXER  LAKE    nOATlXO   PARTY. 


THE  VALLEY  OV  THE  YET 


PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


99 


FOREST  VIEW — THE  FOOT  HILLS   OF    CALIFORNIA. 


Pleasant  Grove — properly  named. 
In  early  days  it  was  known  as  "  Battle 
Creek  "—so-called  from  a  fight  the  early 
settlers  once  had  here  with  the  Utes.  It  is 
a  thriving  place  of  1,000  inhabitants,  and 
like  all  other  Mormon  towns,  is  surrounded 
with  orchards  and  gardens  of  fruit,  with 
water  flowing  through  every  street.  Herds 
of  cattle  are  now  to  be  seen  grazing  on  the 
surrounding  hills. 

Eleven  miles  around,  on  the  rim  of  the 
basin,  across  some  sage  and  some  well- 
cultivated  land,  our  train  stops  at 

Provo — This  is  a  legularly  incorporated 
city,  with  all  the  requisite  municipal  offi- 
cers ;  is  also  the  county  seat  of  Utah  county, 
which  was  first  settled  in  1849. 

Provo  is  48  miles  south  of  Salt  Lake 
City,  at  the  mouth  of  Provo  Canyon,  and 
on  the  east  bank  of  Utah  Lake,  and  con- 
tains an  increasing  population  of  4,000. 
This  place  has  several  fine  hotels,  chief  of 
which  is  the  Excelsior  House. 


The  court-house  and  public  buildings  of 
the  city  are  very  good,  and  all  kinds  of 
business  is  represented  here.  The  princi- 
pal manufactories  are  the  Provo  Woolen 
Mills,  three  flour  and  three  saw  mills. 

Provo  River,  which  is  formed  by  nu- 
merous small  streams,  to  the  eastward,  af- 
fords the  best  water  power  of  any  stream 
in  Utah. 

The  woolen  mill  is  a  noted  feature  of 
the  city ;  the  buildings  number  four,  are 
built  of  stone,  four  stories  high,  and  cost, 
complete,  ready  for  business,  $210,000. 
There  are  in  the  mill  four  "mules  "  with 
3,240  spindles,  machinery  for  carding, 
dyeing  and  preparing  2,000  pounds  of 
wool  per  day,  and  215  looms,  which  turn 
out  superior  fabrics,  in  amount  exceeding 
$200,000  per  annum. 

The  Mormons  have  a  veiy  capacious 
tabernacle,  and  the  Methodists  a  fine 
church,  and  schools  are  ample.  The  Brig- 
ham    Young   Academy  is    located  here. 


100 


CROFUTT'S    NEW   OVERLAND    TOURIST 


which  was  amply  endowed  by  presi- 
dent Brigham  Young  some  years  be- 
fore his  death.  A  regular  stage  leaves 
for  Provo  Valley,  20  miles  to  eastward 
on  the  arrival  of  trains. 

Utah  Lake— is  a  body  of  fresh  water, 
30  miles  long  and  6  miles  wide ;  is  fed 
by  Provo  river,  American  Fork,  Span- 
ish Fork,  Hobble,  Saltand Peteetweet 
creeks,  having  its  outlet  through  Jor- 
dan river,  which  runs  north  and  emp- 
ties into  Great  Salt  Lake.  Utah  Lake 
abounds  in  trout,  mullet  and  chubs. 

Passing  along  through  a  well  culti- 
vated section  of  country,  for  five 
miles,  we  arrive  at 

Spbingville — This  place  was  named 
from  a  warm  spring  which  flows  from 
Hobble  Canon,  above  the  town.  Pop. 
1,500.  The  water  from  this  spring  is 
utilized  to  run  a  flouring  mill,  where- 
by the  mill  is  enabled  to  run  all  sear- 
sons  of  the  year.  So  much  for  a  hot 
spring.  In  Pleasant  Valley,  50  miles 
east,are  located  vast  beds  of  coal,  said 
to  be  of  the  best  coking  quality,  large 
quantities  of  which  are  used  at  the 
various  smelting  works  in  Utah,  and 
for  domestic  purposes  in  Salt  Lake 
City  and  adjoining  towns.  In  1878  the 
Utah  &  Pleasant  Valley  R'y  Co.  was 
organized  for  the  purpose  of  handling 
this  coal,  and  the  road  was  soon  built 
to  the  mines.  In  1881  this  road  was 
bought  by  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande 
Western  Ry.,  who  are  extending  the 
road  to  the  Valleys  .of  Kanab,  the 
Gunnison  and  ultimately  connects 
with  the  Colorado  system  of  narrow 
gauge  roads,  forming  another  through 
line  from  Salt  Lake  Valley  eastward. 
Grading  is  being  done  northward 
from  Springville,  parallel  with  the 
Utah  Southern,  to  Salt  Lake  City, 
and  everything  that  money  and  mus- 
cle can  do  is  being  done  to  complete 
the  road  in  1883. 

Hobble  Creek  Caiion,  just  east  of 
Springville,  was  so  named  by  the  first 
Mormons  in  1847,  who  found  there  a 
set  of  old  Spanish  hobbles. 

Rolling  along  for  five  miles  further 
through  a  well- cultivated  land,  we 
arrive  at 

Spanish  Fork— a  village  of  1,800  pop- 
ulation, most  of  whom  are  engaged  in 
agricultural  and  pasjtoral  pursuits. 
The  town  is  to  the  left  of  the  road  on 
the  banks  of  the  Spanish  Fork  River. 


Butter  and  cheese  are  quite  a  specialty 
with  many  of  the  citizens ;  on  the  table- 
lands vineyards  are  numerous,  and  wine  is 
made  to  some  extent ;  wheat  is  also  a  good 
crop.  Duck  shooting  is  said  to  be  exceed- 
ingly fine,  and  trout  are  found  in  great  num. 
hers  in  all  the  mountain  streams,  as  well 
as  in  the  ]ake. 

Continuing  on  through  rich  farm  land, 
eight  miles  brings  our  train  to 

Payson — This  is  an  incorporated  city  of 
about  2,200  population,  situated  to  the  left 
of  the  road,  and  near  the  southern  end  of 
Utah  Lake.  The  people  appear  to  be  well- 
to-do,  and  do  not  trouble  themselves  much 
about  the  "  war  in  Europe,"  or  the  "  Chi- 
nese question."  Large  quantities  of  ore 
are  hauled  here  for  shipment  to  the  smelt- 
ing furnaces  at  Sandy  and  other  places. 

Three  miles  further,  and  tMO  and  a  half 
miles  eastward,  is  a  beautiful  little  place 
called  Spring  Lake  Villa,  nestling  cosily 
in  beside  the  mountain  and  a  little  lakelet 
of  similar  name.  This  villa  is  noted  for 
its  abundant  and  superior  fruit  of  various 
kinds,  where  is  located  a  large  canning 
establishment. 

Five  miles  further,  through  less  valuable 
lands  than  those  to  the  northward,  and  we 
arrive  at 

Santaquin — which  is  a  very  important 
point.  It  contains  a  population  of  about 
2,000,  and  is  a  point  from  which  all  pas- 
sengers, mails,  express  and  freight,  leave 
for  the  Tintic  mining  regions,  to  the  west- 
ward. Here,  too,  will  be  found  stage 
lines  for  the  different  mining  towns  and 
camps.  To  Goshen  the  distance  is  six 
miles;  Diamond  City,  13  miles;  Silver 
City,  16  miles  ;^and  Eureka,  21  miles. 

The  Tintic  district  furnished  at  this  sta- 
tion,  in  1879,  20,000,000  pounds  of  hema- 
tite iron  ore  for  shipment  to  the  different 
smelting  furnaces  to  the  northward,  for  a 
flux  in  the  manipulation  of  ores. 

York— is  75  miles  from  Salt  Lake 
City,  and  is  a  station  of  very  little 
importance,  four  miles  from  Santa- 
qin.  A  few  miles  further,  to  the  right 
are  the  Hot  Springs  in  which  were 
found  the  bodies  of  the  Aiken  party 
who  were  murdered  in  1857. 

To  the  south,  rises  Mount  Nebo, 
with  his  cap  of  snow,  to  an  altitude  of 
12,000  feet. 

Mono— To  the  left,  is  a  small  ham- 
let. 

The  Juab  Valley  commences  at 
York,  averages  about  three  miles  in 


PACIFIC    COAST.  iGi)fi)K. 


101 


L,i»_, »       ]*      «     * 


YO-SEMITE  FALLS,  2,634  FEET  FALL,    YO-SEMITE    VALLEY. 


width,  and  is  36  miles  in  length,  gener- 
ally good  land  and  well  cultivated. 

Nephi — Is  a  city  of  2,000  population, 
from  which  stages  run  regularly  to 
San  Pete,  80  miles,  and  Kanab,  195 
miles,  passing  through  many  small 
villages  and  raining  camps. 

Juab— is  an  eating  station.  30  miles 
from  York.  Here  a  large  amount  of 
freight  is  shipped  on  wagons  for  the 
villages  to  the  eastward,  and  stages 
leave  regularly  for  Sipio,  22  miles ;  Fil- 
morc,47  miles,and  Corn  Creek,60  miles 

Juab  is  the  end  of  the  Utah  South- 
ern, and  the  commencement  of  its 
Extension. 

Soon  after  leaving  Juab— named  for 
the  county  of  Juab— we  cross  Chicken 
Creek,  and  in  about  three  miles  come 
to  the  Sevier  Kiver,  where  the  hills 
come  close  together,f  orming  a  canyon 

The  Sevier  is  a  crooked,  muddy, 
sluggish  stream,  down  which  the  road 
is  built  through  a  worthless  country 
crossing  it  often  for  52  miles,  to  Des- 


eret,  a  station  situated  a  few  miles 
east  of  the  Sevier  River,  which  is  here 
dammed  for  irrigating  purposes. 

Leaving  Deseret — where  breakfast  is 
served  going  north — we  pass  over  a 
broad,  level  stretch  of  desert  country, 
traversed  by  great  numbers  of  irrigat- 
ing ditches,  from  the  dam  aforesaid,, 
but  the  waters  are  so  strong  and  the 
soil  so  impregnated  with  alkali,  that 
the  aforesaid  wilderness  fails  to  blos- 
som, except  with  sage  and  grease- 
wood.  The  road  crosses  the  edge  of 
Sevier  Lake,  on  a  raised  track,  the  salt 
deposits  of  which  are  very  strong. 
The  scenery  along  this  road,belo  w  the 
Sevier  canyon,  is  not  very  striking — 
unless  one  is  anxious  to  be  struck. 

MiLFORD— is  reached,  69  miles  from 
Deseret  and  226  miles  south  from  Salt 
Lake  City.  It  is  on  Beaver  River,  pop- 
ulation abaut  200,  the  end  of  the  Utah 
Southern  Railroad,  from  which  large 
quantities  of  freight  are  shipped  for 
Southern  Utah.  Stages  run  to  Miners- 


102 


•CRO:*tJTT'S-NEW  OVERLAND  TOURIST 


Tille,  16  mil^s;  Maryg;vjne..l6,  miles; 
Beaver,  37  miles ;  Silver  Eeef, 96  miles ; 
St.  George,  114  miles,  and  Pioche,  120 
miles.  At  Milf ord  is  located  one  quartz 
mill  and  one  smelting  furnace.  To  the 
westward,  16  miles,  by  a  branch  rail- 
road is 

Frisco— a  mining  town  of  about  1000 
population,  near  the  celebrated  Horn 
Silver  Mine.  The  "Frisco  mines"  are 
said  to  be  exceedingly  rich  in  silver 
and  lead.  The  ores  are  galena,  yield- 
ing from  $15  to  $1 ,500  per  ton  of  silver, 
and  from  20  to  40  per  centum  of  lead. 
Heavy  investments  of  eastern  capital 
have  been  made  in  these  mines,  and 
vigorous  efforts  are  making  to  soon 
work  them  by  the  latest  and  most  im- 
proved methods.  The  Horn  Silver, 
Oarbonate  and  Mountain  Queen  are 
the  best  known  and  developed  mines. 

Returningito  Zion  we  will  take  a  run 
over  the 

Utah  liVeistern  Railroad. 

This  road  is  a  late  acquisition  of  the 
Union  Pacific  Eailway  Co.  It  is  a  three 
lootnarrowgauge,commencedinl874, 
and  was  completed  12  miles  during 
the  year.  In  1875  about  13  miles  more 
were  finished,  and  in  1877  it  was  ex- 
tended to  within  two  miles  of  Stock- 
ton, 37.5  miles  from  Salt  Lake  City. 

The  depot  in  Salt  Lake  City  is  lo- 
cated one-half  mile  west  of  the  Utah 
■Central,  on  the  same  street. 

The  route  is  due  west,  crossing  the 
Jordan  River  the  first  mile,  about  half 
a  mile  south  of  the  wagon  road  bridge, 
thence  12  miles  to  the  Hot  Springs,  at 
the  northeast  point  of  the  Oquirrh 
Mountains.  This  12  miles  is  built 
across  the  level  bottom  land,  the  ma- 
jor portion  of  which  is  covered  with 
sage-brush  and  greasewood,  with  an 
occasional  patch  of  "bunch"  and  alka- 
li grasses.  The  soil  in  most  parts  is  a 
black  vegetable  mold  with  a  mixture 
of  fine  sand.  Some  sand  beds  are  no- 
ticeable, and  near  the  Hot  Springs  a 
(deposit  of  alkali  with  yellow  clay. 

The  length  of  this  land  belt  is  about 
Similes,  of  which  the  first  15  will  av- 
erage ten  miles  wide,  the  balance  av- 
eraging five  miles  wide,  and  extend- 
ing south  to  Utah  Lake,  and  when 
properly  irrigated— as  we  have  here- 
tofore noted,  a  plan  now  being  car- 
ried out  for  so  doing— it  will  be  aspro- 
■ductive  as  the  same  number  of  acres 


in  the  valleyof  the  famous  River  Nile, 
in  Egypt.  Herds  of  cattle  and  sheep 
now  roam  over  these  bottom  lands, 
as  well  as  jack  rabbits  by  the  legion. 

Near  the  hot  springs,  on  the  left,  no- 
ticeable from  the  amount  of  steam  ris- 
ing and  the  brown  burned  appear- 
ance of  the  ground,  are  some  comfort- 
able little  farm-houses,  and  a  few  well 
appearing  farms.  The  hot  springs  spo- 
ken of  are  fresh  and  produce  a  large 
creek  of  water.  Near,are  several  store 
houses,  and  a  place  called  Millstone, 
from  the  fact  that  at  this  point  the  first 
millstones  were  quarried  in  the  Terri- 
tory. There  are  no  accommodations, 
at  present,  near,  for  tourists  to  stop 
over.  Proceeding  along,  around  the 
side  of  the  mountain,  our  train  gradu- 
ally approaches  the  lake,  and  five 
miles  from  Millstone  we  are  at 

Black  Rock — This  station  is  just  af- 
ter passing  a  high  rocky  cliff  on  the 
right,  and  derives  its  name  from  a 
black-looking  rock  sitting  out  in  the 
lake  300  feet  distant,  and  50  feet  high. 

Near  the  station  is  Lion's  Head  Rock, 
the  highest  cliff  is  known  as  "Ob- 
servation Point,"  so  named  from  the 
unobstructed  view  which  can  be  had 
from  its  summit.  Antelope,  or  Church 
Island,  to  the  northeast,is  14  miles  dis- 
tant,Kimbairs,22 ;  Goose  Creek  Moun- 
tains, northwest  100 ;  West  Mountain, 
west  15;  Oquirrh,  close  to  the  south, 
while  the  view  to  the  southwest  ex- 
tends to  the  great  rim  of  the  basin,  17 
miles  distant.  On  Church  Island  large 
herds  of  cattle  range,  and  some  mines 
of  gold,  slate,  and  copper  have  been 
discovered.  On  CarringtonIsland,op- 
positeBlackRock,aslate  mine  of  good 
quality  has  been  discovered,  which 
has  been  traced  4,500  ft.  Opposite  the 
station,  away  up  in  the  side  of  the 
mountain,  is  the 

''Giant's  Cave— an  oi)ening  extend- 
ing several  hundred  ft.  into  tne  moun- 
tain side,  with  a  ceiling  ranging  in 
height  from  10  to  75  feet,  from  which 
hang  stalactites  of  great  beauty  and 
brilliancy.  Remains  of  some  of  the  an- 
cient tribes  of  Indians,  it  is  said,  are 
still  to  be  found  scattered  around  the 
floor  of  the  cave.  The  presence  of 
these  remains  is  explained  by  a  tradi- 
tion among  the  Indians  to  the  effect 
that  "many  hundred  years  ago,  two 
tribes  of  Indians  were  at  wartvith  each 


AND  PACIFIC   COAST  GUIDE. 


10$ 


other,  and  that  the  weaker  party  was 
forced  to  take  refuge  in  the  cave,  but 
were  followed  by  the  enemy,  who 
closed  the  entrance  with  huge  bould- 
ers, forming  an  impenetrable  barrier 
to  their  escape"— and  thus  their  place 
of  refuge  became  their  grave. 

Leaving  Black  Rock,our  train  skirts 
the  lake  for  a  distance  of  one  mile  and 
stops  at 

Garfield. — Of  all  the  bathing  places 
in  and  about  Salt  Lake, this  is  the  best. 
The  veteran  Cap.  Douri's— who  by  the 
way  has  become  quite  a  "land-lubber" 
—is  located  here,  having  dismantled 
his  steamer.  Gen.  Garfield,  and  con- 
verted it  into  a  first-class  floating  ho- 
tel. To  take  a  run  out  from  Salt  Lake 
City,  secure  a  state-room  on  the  Gar- 
field, sleep  on  the  bosom  of  the  "Dead 
Sea,"  and  with  the  "Captain's  gig"  ex- 
plore its  mysteries,  bathe  in  its  won- 
derful waters,  is  one  of  the  luxuries 
that  the  traveler  visiting  Utah  should 
never  miss.  In  fact  it  is  worth  along 
journey  to  enjoy.  Baron  von  Hum- 
boldt, in  speaking  of  the  marvelous 
grandeur  with  which  this  inland  sea 
abounds,  said:  "Here  is  the  beauty 
and  grandeur  of  Comoand  Killarney 
combined." 

Lake  Point— is  two  miles  from  Gar- 
field, is  another  bathing  place,  where 
the  traveler  will  find  fair  accommoda- 
tions at  the  "Short  Branch  Hotel." 

Black  Rock,  Garfield,  and  Lake 
Point,  are  in  summer  great  resorts  for 
pic-nic  parties  from  Zion,  who  come 
out,  take  a  trip  over  the  lake,  have  a 
swim  and  a  ramble  up  the  mountains, 
"make  a  day  of  it,"  and  returi^  to  the 
city  in  the  evening. 

Game  in  the  mountains  and  on  the 
plains,  such  as  deer,  antelope,  bears 
and  smaller  game,  are  to  be  had  for 
the  necessary  effort;  ducks  are  abun- 
dant six  miles  to  the  eastward,  and 
fish,— Tiflr?/  one. 

The  mountains  are  about  1,000  feet 
above  the  road,  have  rounded  peaks, 
covered  with  small  trees,  in  places, 
sage  and  grass  in  others,  and  large 
timber  in  the  inaccessible  gulches  and 
ravines,  near  the  summit. 

Leaving  the  Point,  our  course  is 
more  to  the  southward,  along  the  side 
of  the  lake,  by  a  few  well-cultivated 
farms,  irrigated  by  water  from  the 
mountain  on  the  left. 


Turning  more  to  the  left,  and  draw- 
ing away  from  the  lake,  the  road  fol- 
lows along  a  few  miles  from  the  base  of 
the  mountains,beside  which  is  located 
the  small  Mormon  village  of  "E.  T.  Ci- 
ty"—named  after  E.  T.  Bensen,  one  of 
the  early  settlers.  Four  and  a  half 
miles  from  the  "Point"  comes  the 

Half- WayHouse— near,is  a  flouring, 
and  woolen  mill.  On  the  opposite  side 
of  the  valley,  west,  is  the  town  of 
Grantsville,  eight  miles  distant.  It 
lies  in  one  of  the  richest  agricultural 
sections  of  the  state ;  population,2,000. 
In  the  background  is  the  West  Moun- 
tain Range,  which  rears  its  peaks  full 
2,000  ft.  above  the  town,  and  in  whick 
are  located  some  very  rich  mines  of 
silver.  Beyond  these  mountains  is. 
Skull  Yalley— so  named  for  an  Indian 
flght  which  once  occurred  there,  after 
which  the  ground  was  left  covered 
with  bones.  Passing  on,  to  the  left,. 
note  the  waterlines  on  the  side  of  the- 
mountain. 

Tooele— is  six  miles  from  the  last, 
and  is  the  nearest  station  to  the  thriv- 
ing town  of  Tooele,  which  is  situated 
to  the  left  about  two  miles,  beside  th& 
mountain.  The  principal  business  of 
the  citizens  is  agriculture  and  fruit 
raising.  It  is  considered  the  best  fruit 
and  vegetable  districtin  the  Territory. 

Tooele  is  the  county  scat  of  Tooele 
county ;  population  about  2,500.  Along 
the  base  of  the  mountain  the  land  is  ir- 
rigated from  little  springs  and  creeks 
in  the  mountain  gorges,  the  waters  of 
which  seldom  find  their  way  to  the  lake 
below.  About  10  miles  over  the  mo  un- 
tain,to  the  southeast,  is  located  Bing- 
ham City.  Leaving  Tooele,  sage 
small  cedars,  bunch-grass  and  herds 
of  stock  abound. 

The  road  is  on  a  high  plateau,  curv- 
ing with  the  mountain  more  to  the 
westward,  and  some  miles  below  the 
the  lower  end  of  the  lake.  As  we  near 
the  lower  portion  to  the  great  valley, 
which  lays  on  our  right,  the  land  rises, 
rim-like,  and  a  few  hundred  yards  be- 
low the  end  of  the  track,  rises  500  feet, 
completely  locking  in  the  valley  by  a 
mountain  range  or  semi-circle  ex- 
tending in  a  great  arch  from  Oquirrh 
Range  on  the  east,  to  meet  the  range 
on  the  west,  one  great  bend,  full  five 
miles  in  curvature.  Here,  at  the  base- 
of  this  rim,  terminates  the  railroad* 


104 


crofutt's  new  overland  tourist. 


The  Grand  "  Yellowstone  Park, 


On  the  south  side  of  this  rim,  which,  on 
the  top,  is  less  than  one-half  a  mile  in 
width,  is  located  the  city  of 

Stockton— two  miles  distant  from 
the  end  of  the  railroad.  To  reach 
Stockton  by  rail  a  1000-foot  tunnel 
must  be  drove  through  this  rim,  ex- 
clusive of  approaches. 

Stockton  is  now  reached  by  stage, 
which  also  extends  its  route  to  Dry 
Canyon,  and  the  Ophir  raining  dis- 


tricts to  the  south  and  west.  Dis- 
tances from  Stockton  to  Ophir, 
southeast,  10  miles ;  to  Dry  Can- 
yon, southeast,  12  miles;  to  Salt 
Lake  City,  39.5  miles. 

Stockton  isin  Tooele  county,in 
the  northeast  corner  of  Rush  Val- 
ley, andabout  one-half  mile  east 
of  Rush  Lake — a  sheet  of  fresh 
water  two  miles  long  and  half 
inile  wide.  The  town  contains 
three  smelting  furnaces,  several 
.stores,hotels,  and  about 80  dwell- 
ings, with  a  population — by  tak- 
ing in  the  surroundings  —of  600. 
The  Waterman  Furnace  is  close 
in  the  eastern  edge  of  the  town; 
the  Jacob's  Smelter  about  half  a 
mile  west,  at  the  head  of  the  lake, 
and  the  Chicago  Smelter  about 
'  me  mile  southwest,  on  the  east- 
ern bank  of  the  lake.  The  ores 
'ome  from  the  several  mining 
districts  in  the  vicinity. 

Rush  Valley  is  one  of  the  class 
of  valleys  so  often  found  in  the 
Salt  Lake  and  Nevada  Basins- 
only  varying  in  size.  This  is  10 
miles  in  length  and  about  three 
ill  width— land-locked,  surround- 
ed by  mountain  ranges,  with  a 
lake  in  the  center  and  no  visible 
outlet. 

New  Railways.  —  We  should 
judge  from  present  appearances 
that  all  Utah  will  soon  be  "riding 
on  a  rail,"  as  the  "boom"  for  rail- 
road building  struck  the  terri- 
tory in  1881.  From  the  various 
documents  on  file  with  the  Audi- 
tor of  the  Territory,it  would  seem 
that  every  canyon  and  water- 
course would  be  paralleled  with 
a  rail  track,and  there  would  hard- 
ly be  a  "sheep  ranch"  without 
a  railway  station.  It  is  said 
the  Union  Pacific  Railway  Com- 
pany will  construct  1000  miles 
track  at  an  early  day,  and  that 
they  are  now  "throwing  dirt"  in  sev- 
eral places.  July  21, 1881,  the  Denver 
and  Rio  Grande  Western  Railway  Co. 
filed  on  routes  aggregating  2,370  miles. 
This  new  company  is  virtually  the 
same  as  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  of 
Colorado,  and  it  is  designed  to  con- 
nect the  two  lines  at  an  early  day.  At 
this  time  work  is  being  pushed  vigor- 
ously, both  from  the  east  and  west. 


of 


PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


105 


Eeturning-  to  Salt  Lake,  "change 
cars  "  for  Ogden,  and  again  we  take  a 
look  at  the  Great  Overland  trains. 
But  we  cannot  think  of  neglecting  to 
take  a  trip  over  the 

Utah  &  Xortliern  Branch 

Union  Pacific  Railway. 

(IDAHO  DIVISION.) 

W.  B.  DoDDBlDGE Ogden,  Supt. 

R.  Blickensderfeb,  Pocatello,  Idaho,  Biv.  Supt. 

This  road  is  a  three-foot  narrow 
gauge,  commenced  March  29th,  1872, 
and  extended  at  different  times  to 
Franklin,  78  miles,  in  1874.  In  the 
spring  of  1878  work  was  again  com- 
menced and  the  road  completed  181 
miles  to  Blackfoot,  on  Snake  River, 
ten  miles  above  old  Fort  Hall,  and 
during  the  year  1879  to  Beaver  Canyon, 
93  miles,  274  miles  from  Ogden.  Work 
has  continued  since,  and  the  trains 
are  now  (Jan.,  1883,)  fully  equipped 
with  palace  cars  and  all  modern  im- 
provements, running  to  Deer  Lodge, 
442  miles  from  Ogden. 

The  "Oregon  Short  Line,"  noted 
on  page  76,  when  completed  will  con- 
nect with  this  road  at  Pocatello,  158 
miles  north  from  Ogden.  Another 
branch  has  been  surveyed  and  will 
leave  this  road  at  Blackfoot  and  pass 
through  Idaho  via  the  Wood  River 
Mines  to  Oregon. 

Trains  leave  Ogden  opposite  the 
Union  Depot  to  the  eastward  and 
skirt  the  western  edge  of  the  city, 
across  rich,  broad,  and  well-cultiva- 
ted fields,  orchards  and  gardens,  with 
the  Wasatch  Mountains  towering  to 
the  right. 

From  Ogden  depot  it  is  five  miles 
to  Harrisvllle,  an  unimportant  sta- 
tion, from  which  it  is  four  miles  to 
Hot  Springs,  where  will  be  found  a 
large  hotel  and  extensive  bathing 
accommodations.  Here  is  one  of  the 
many  hot  springs  which  abound  in 
the  Great  Salt  Lake  and  Nevada 
basins.  In  cold  weather  it  sends  up 
a  dense  cloud  of  vapor,  which  is  visi- 
ble a  long  distance.  It  is  strongly 
impregnated  with  sulphur  and  other 
mineral  substances,  and  the  odor 
arising  is  very  strong,  and  by  no 
means  pleasant  for  some  people  to 
inhale.  This  spring  is  close  on  the 
right  of  the  road,  and  besides  the 
steam  continually  arising  from  it,  is 


marked  by  the  red-burnt  soil,  much  re- 
sembling a  yard,  where  hides  are  tanned. 

From  the  cars  an  occasional  glimps  of 
Salt  Lake  can  be  obtained,  with  its  nu- 
merous islands,  lifting  their  peaks  far 
iar  above  the  lariny  waters.  The  views 
will  be  very  imperfect;  but  as  we  near 
Promontory  Point,  and  after  leaving  that 
place,  excellent  views  can  be  obtained. 
On  the  left,  only  a  few  hundred  yards 
away,  can  be  «een  the  track  of  the  Cen- 
tral Pacific — and  near,  the  unimportant 
station  of  Bonneville  on  that  road.  Near 
are  some  fine  farming  lands,  which  yield 
large  crops  of  wheat,  barley  and  corn. 

With  the  rugged  mountains  on  our  right 
and  the  waters  of  the  lake  seen  at  times 
on  our  left,  we  find  objects  of  interest  con- 
tinually rising  around  us  Far  up  the 
sides  of  the  mountain,  stretching  along  in 
one  unbroken  line,  save  where  it  is  sun- 
dered by  canyons,  gulches,  and  ravines,  is 
the  old  water-mark  of  the  ancient  lake, 
showing  that  at  one  time  this  lake  was  a 
mighty  sea,  washing  the  mountain  sides  sev- 
eral hundred  feet  above  us.  The  o\  d  water- 
line  is  no  creation  of  the  imagination,  but 
a  broad  bench,  whereupon  the  well-worn 
rocks,  the  rounded  pebbles,  and  marine 
shells  still  attest  the  fact  that  once  the  wa- 
teis  of  the  lake  washed  this  broad  upland. 
Beneath  the  highest  and  largest  bench,  at 
various  places,  may  be  seen  two  others,  at 
about  equal  distances  apart,  showing  that 
the  waters  of  the  lake  have  had  three  dif- 
ferent altitudes  before  they  reached  their 
present  level. 

We  are  gradually  rising  up  on  to  a  high 
bench  and  will  continue  along  near  the 
base  of  the  mountains  for  the  next  thirty 
miles.  In  places  the  view  will  be  grand. 
The  Great  Lake  at  the  southwest  with  its 
numerous  islands  in  the  distance,  the  well- 
cultivated  fields  in  the  foreground,  together 
with  the  orchards  and  rippling  rills  from 
the  mountain  springs,  which  we  cross  every 
few  minutes,  make  a  beautiful  picture; 
then  back  of  all,  on  the  east,  rises  the  Wa- 
satch, peak  upon  peak,  towering  to  the 
skies. 

From  the  last  station  it  is  15  miles  to 

Willard — This  is  a  quiet  Mormon  town 
of  700  inhabitants,  and  contains  some  fine 
buildings,  but  the  greater  portion  are  built 
of  logs  and  adobe,  yet  neat  and  cosy.  Most 
of  the  fences  are  of  small  willows  inter- 
woven through  large  willow  stakes  stuck 
in  the  ground.  The  mountains  near  this 
town  present  indications  which  would  as. 


106 


PACIFIC   COAST   GUIDE. 


ENTERING   THE    PALISADES   OF   THE    HUMBOLDT. 


sure  the  "  prospector  "  that  they  were  rich 
in  various  minerals.  Strong  evidences  also 
exist  of  the  great  volcanic  upheaval  which 
once  lit  up  this  countrjr  with  its  lurid  fires, 
most  effectualy  demolishing  many  philo- 
sophical theories,  leaving  their  origina- 
nators  to  study  nature  more  and  hooks 
less. 

Near  the  city,  in  the  first  range  of  hills, 
is  the  crater  of  an  extinct  volcano,  which 
covers  several  acres.  The  masses  of  lava 
laying  around,  its  bleak,  barren,  and  deso- 
late appearance  would  seem  to  indicate  that, 
comparatively  speaking,  not  many  years 
had  elapsed  since  it  was  in  active  operation. 

Leaving  Willard,  our  course  is  more  to 
the  left,  with  broad  fields  and  some  fine 
dwellings;  then  a  strip  of  sage  and  alkali; 
and  seven  miles  north  we  reach 

Brigham — This  is  the  county  seat  of 
Box  Elder  county,  situated  near  the  mouth 
of  Box  Elder  and  Wellsville  Canyon. 
Like  Willard,  it  nestles  close  under  the 
shadow  of  the  Wasatch,  and  is  embowered 


in  fruit  trees.  Population,  1,800.  The 
buildings  are  mostly  of  adobe.  A  thriving 
trade  and  rapidly  increasing  population 
attest  the  importance  of  the  place.  The 
public  buildings  include  a  court-house  and 
tabernacle,  two  hotels,  and  no  saloons. 

From  Brigham  our  course  is  more  to 
the  left,  following  around  the  great  arc  of 
the  mountains,  as  well  as  the  old  Montana 
stage  road. 

Call's  Fobe  —  is  7  miles  from  Brig- 
ham, and  is  a  little  collection  of  houses, 
close  in  beside  the  mountain  on  the  right. 
All  around  this  mountain  base  are,  at 
intervals,  springs— some  are  cold  and  some 
are  very  hot-water — well-cultivated  fields 
and  alkali  beds,  little  lakes,  and  sage-brush 
knolls,  rich  soil  and  large  crops;  then 
occur  iDarren  waste  and  nary  shrub. 

Two  and  a  half  miles  further  is 

HoNEYViLLE — ^Ah!  here  we  have  it  !  a 
dozen  stone  and  adobe  houses  on  a 
sagebrush  honey.  Bear  River  and  valley 
is  now  on  the  left,  as  is  also  the  city  of 


CEOFUTT  S    NEW    OVERIiAND    TOURIS3 


lOT 


Corinne,  about  six   miles  distant  to  the 
southwest. 

When  this  road  was  first  built,  a  track 
extended  to  Corinne,  which  has  in  later 
years  been  taken  up  and  abandoned,  the 
why !  I  will  never  tell  you. 

Deweyville  is  five  miles  further, 
around  which,  are  some  good  farms  and  a 
gristmill.  Curving  around  the  point  of 
the  mountain  and  heading  for  the  north, 
up  Bear  Valley,  the  grade  increases ;  sage 
is  the  rule,  pines  and  cedars  appear  in  the 
mountain  gorges,  and  up  we  climb.  To 
the  west  on  the  opposite  side  of  Bear  Eiver, 
about  five  miles  above  the  station,  is  lo- 
cated a  village  of  Shoshone  Indians,  about 
100  in  number.  Their  tepees — lodges  — can 
be  plainly  seen.  These  Indians  took  up 
this  land  in  1874,  under  the  pre-emption 
laws  of  the  United  States,  and  abandoned 
their  tribal  relations.  They  own  some 
large  herds  of  cattle  and  bands  of  horses, 
and  are  very  quiet  and  peaceably  disposed. 

Passing  on  up  a  heavy  graae  through 
deep  cuts  for  six  miles  and  we  are  at 

CoLLiKSTON— formerly  Hamptons,  a 
side  track  station  of  no  importance  to 
the  tourist. 

Just  before  reaching  this  station,  the 
road  cuts  through  a  spur  of  the  mountain 
that  juts  out  to  the  westward  into  the  val- 
ley, leaving  a  high,  isolated  peak.  Let  us 
climb  this  peak  and  take  a  look.  To  the 
north,  six  miles  the  Bear  River  canyons 
through  a  low  spur  of  the  Wasatch  which 
reaches  away  to  the  northwest.  To  the 
west  of  this  spur  lies  the  Malad  Valley, 
and  Malad  River ;  the  latter  and  the  Bear 
come  close  together  into  the  valley,  imme- 
diately to  the  west  of  where  we  stand ;  then 
flow  close  together  down  the  valley  to  the 
south  parallel  lor  ten  miles  before  they 
unite,  in  some  places  not  more  than  20 
feet  apart.  To  the  west  of  this  valley  rise 
the  long  range  of  the  Malad  Mountains, 
which,  commencing  near  Corinne,  runs 
nearly  north  to  opposite  this  point,  and 
then  bears  away  to  the  northwest. 

Only  a  small  portion  of  the  lands  in  the 
Bear  or  Malad  valleys  are  cultivated; 
cattle  and  sheep  are  plenty.  Leaving 
Collinston,  our  road  is  up  a  100  foot 
grade,  curving  around  to  raise  the  spur 
of  the  Wasatch  above  alluded  to,  through 
which  Bear  River  canyons  a  few  miles  to 
the  northward.    Finally  the 

Summit — is  reached  and  passed  four 
miles  from  Collinston  and  we  curve  to  the 
jeast  and  then  to  the  south,  around  the  nar- 


row spur  alluded  to,  which  separated  Bear 
Valley  from  Cache  Valley. 

From  the  Summit  we  have  been  rapidly 
descending  into  Cache  Valley,  which  is  on 
our  left,  and  is  one  of  the  most  productive 
in  Utah  Territory.  The  valley  heads  in  th»^ 
Wasatch  Mountains,  northeast  of  Ogden, 
and  is  40  miles  long  with  an  average 
width  of  six  miles,  to  where  it  intersects- 
Marsh  Valley  on  the  north,  five  miles  dis- 
tant. The  Logan  River  runs  through  the 
lower  portion  of  this  valley,  and  is  com- 
posed of  the  Little  Bear,  Blacksmith  Fork, 
and  Logan  creeks,  making  a  stream  of" 
ample  volume  to  irrigate  all  the  land  in 
the  valley,  much  of  which  is  yet  open  for 
pre-emption. 

In  an  ordinary  season  the  shipments- 
from  this  valley  average  500  car-loads  of 
wheat,  200  car-loads  of  oats,  and  100  car- 
loads of  potatoes,  most  of  which  go  ta 
California.  Wheat  often  yields  50  bushels^ 
to  the  acre. 

Mendon — is  the  first  station  from  the- 
Summit,  6.5  miles' distant,  on  the  west  side 
of  the  valley,  and  contains  about  700^ 
population. 

From  Mendon  our  course  is  due  east  to- 
Logan,  across  the  valley,  which  runs  north 
and  south,  but  before  we  start,  let  us  note- 
the  towns  situated  on  the  arc,  around  the 
upper  portion  of  the  valley.  The  first  ia^ 
Wellsville,  six  miles  south,  on  the  west 
side,  population  1,300.  Paradise  comes- 
next,  with  a  population  of  500.  Continu- 
ing around  to  the  east  and  then  north,  is- 
Hyrum,  population  1,400.  Next  come» 
Millville,  population  600 ;  and  then  Provi. 
dence,  population  550.  This  latter  village^ 
is  the  first  south  of  Logan. 

Looking  north  from  Mendon,  northeast- 
of  the  point  where  we  crossed  the  ridge  at 
Summit,  and  eight  miles  from  Mendon,  ia- 
located  the  village  of  Newton,  population. 
300 ;  three  miles  further  is  Clarkston,  pop- 
ulation 500;  next  six  miles  is  Weston,  pop- 
ulation 500 ;  next  is  Clifton,  ten  miles,  pop- 
ulation 300;  then  Oxford,  seven  miles,  pojp-^ 
ulation  250.  These  are  all  Mormon  vil- 
lages, are  all  surrounded  with  well-culti* 
vated  lands,  orchards,  vines  and  gardens,., 
with  the  sparkling  waters  from  the  adjoin- 
ing mountains  rippling  through  all  the- 
streets,  fields,  gardens  and  lands,  and  with 
crops  and  fruits  of  all  kinds  abundant ;  and, 
taking  them  all  in  all,  they  are  prosperous^ 
and  thriving  communities,  in  which  each, 
one  of  the  community  seems  to  strives  to  ad- 
vance the  good  of  all.    They  are  an  in^ 


108 


PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


-dustrious,  hard-working,  self-reliant  and 
apparently  contented  people,  always  living 
within  their  means.  The  population  of  the 
Talley  is  upwards  of  15,000. 

Leaving  Mendon  to  cross  the  valley,  we 
pass  through  a  farm  of  9,643  acres,  upon 
which  were  30  miles  of  fencing,  houses  and 
out  buildings,  which  were  deeded  by  Pres- 
ident Brigham  Young,  just  before  his 
death,  to  trustees,  in  trust  to  endow  a  col- 
lege at  Logan  City,  to  be  called  "  Brigham 
Young  College."  The  trustees  are  leasing 
the  lands — of  which  there  are  no  better  in 
the  Territory — for  the  purpose  of  creating 
a  tund  to  curry  out  the  bequest.  These 
lands  are  the  most  valuable  in  tlie  Terri- 
tory. Crossinff  Logan  River,  our  train 
«tops  at  the  city  of 

Logan — This  city  is  the  county  seat  of 
Oache  county,  situated  on  the  east  side  of 
■Cache  Valley,  just  below  the  mouth  of 
Logan  Canyon.  It  is  the  largest  place  in 
the  valley — containing  a  population  of 
-about  3,000,  most  of  whom  are  engaged 
in  agricultural  and  pastoral  pursuits. 
Water  runs  through  the  streets  from  the 
mountains  and  orchards;  gardens,  fruits 
^and  flowers  abound. 

The  citj  contains  two  flouring  mills,  a 
woolen  mill,  the  railroad  machine  and  re- 
pair shops,  one  hotel — the  Logan  House — 
-and  a  branch  of  the  Z.  C.  M.  I.,  besides 
various  small  mechanical  establishments. 
"The  new  Tabernacle  is  of  cut  stone,  and 
«eats  2,500  people. 

On  the  east  side  of  the  city,  a  round 
plateau  rises  300  feet  above  the  streets,  pro- 
jecting out  from  the  average  front  of  the 
mountain  range  2,000  feet,  into  the  valley. 
This  plateau  is  about  500  feet  in  width, 
and  shaped  like  the  end  of  a  monster  canal 
boat,  bottom  upwards.  Standing  on  the 
point,  and  looking  west,  the  city  is  close 
at  our  feet,  the  broad  valley  beyond,  and 
in  the  distance  the  spur  of  the  Wasatch, 
over  which  we  came  from  Bear  Valley. 
To  the  right  and  left,  the  vallev  is  spread 
out  in  all  its  beauty,  and  no  less  than  14 
towns  and  villages  are  in  sight,  surrounded 
with  mountain  ranges,  which  rise,  range 
upon  range,  and  peak  overtonping  peak, 
the  highest  of  which  are  robed  in  a  per- 
petual mantle  of  snow.  The  view  is  one 
of  the  most  beautiful  that  one  could  con- 
•ceive. 

Upon  this  plateau,  the  Mormon  people 
who  reside  in  Cache  and  the  four  adjoin- 
ing counties,  have  elected  to  build  a  mag- 
nificent temple,  in  which  to  conduct  the 


rites  and  ordinances  of  the  Mormon 
church.  The  main  building  will  be  of 
slate  stone,  171  feet  long,  95  feet  wide, 
and  86  feet  high,  with  a  grand  tower  144 
feet  high  from  base  to  pinnacle,  and  will 
cost,  when  completed,  in  about  four  years, 
$450,000  to  $500,000. 

Around  the  outer  rim  of  the  plateau,  a 
double  row  of  trees  have  been  set  out,  and 
the  water  from  the  mountain  above  con- 
ducted in  little  ditches  all  around  and  over 
the  entire  grounds. 

Leaving  Logan,  our  road  runs  north, 
along  the  base  of  the  Wasatch  Mountains 
— having  made  a  great  horse-shoe  curve 
from  the  summit. 

From  Logan  it  is  five  miles  to 

Hyde  Park  Station — The  town  of 
Hyde  Park  is  to  the  right,  close  beside  the 
mountain,  one  mile  distant,  and  contains 
a  population  of  about  800. 

Two  mile  further,  and  after  crossing 
Summit  Creek,  which  is  lined  with  cotton- 
wood  trees,  comes 

Smithfield— This  is  a  town  of  1,200 
population,  a  short  distance  to  the  right  of 
the  road.    Six  miles  further  is 

Richmond  —  another  town  of  1,200 
people,  on  the  right,  beside  the  mountain. 

These  towns  are  all  alike  in  beauty  of  sur- 
roundin^s,  and  the  description  of  one  is  a 
description  of  all.  They  all  have  water 
running  through  the  streets,  orchards  ard 
gardens,  and  are  all  laid  out  with  wide 
streets,  by  the  side  of  which  are  rows  of 
trees  and  good  walks. 

Lewistown — is  another  small  village  of 
400  people,  situated  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  valley,  four  miles  distant. 

Nine  miles  further  and  we  reach 
the  station  for 

Franklin — This  town  is  one  mile  north 
of  the  line,  between  Utah  and  Idaho,  and, 
consequently,  is  in  Idaho  Tejritorjr ;  popu- 
lation about  400.  It  is  situated  m  Cache 
Valley,  Oneida  county,  Idaho,  on  Chubb 
Creek  about  one  mile  from  the  station  to 
the  northeast,  at  the  base  of  the  Wasatch 
Mountains. 

The  county  seat  of  Oneida  county  is 
Malad  City  40  miles  due  west.  The  vil- 
lages of  Weston,  Clarkston,  Newton,  Ox- 
ford, and  Clifton— heretofore  alluded  to — 
are  to  the  westward  of  Franklin,  from  ten 
to  twenty  miles.  In  Bear  Valley,  30  miles 
east,  over  the  mountains,  are  the  towns  of 
Paris,  Montpelier  and  Bennington,  aggre- 
gating a  population  of  about  1,000. 

From  Franklin,  we  turn  westward  and 


CROFUTT'8  NEW  OVERLAND  TOURIST 


109 


cross  Chubb  and  Worm  Creeks, along  which 
are  some  line  farming  lands ;  pass  through 
a  number  of  deep  cuts  and  tind  Bear  River 
on  our  left,  far  below  our  road,  with  narrow 
bottom  lands  on  each  side.  The  road  turns 
north  and  runs  up  on  the  east  bank  of  the 
river  a  few  miles  where  it  crosses  to  the 
west  and  stops  at  a  small  side  track  called 

Battle  Creek — twelve  miles  from 
Franklin.  Soon  after  leaving  the  station 
the  road  turns  west  up  Connor's  Canyon, 
where,  in  the  winter  of  18(j3-4,  Gen.  Connor 
had  his  celebrated  fight  with  the  Shoshone 
Indians.  At  the  time  of  this  fight  there 
was  two  foot  of  snow  on  the  ground,  and 
the  weather  very  cold.  The  Indians — some 
hundreds — were  hid  in  the  Canyon  among 
the  willows  along  the  Creek,  and  in  the 
cedars  to  the  right  along  the  bluffs.  By  a 
vigorous  charge  of  the  troops,  the  Indians 
were  completely  overcome,  and  with  few 
exceptions,  none  were  left  alive  to  tell  the 
tale.  The  bones  of  the  dead  are  still' to  be 
seen  near  fhe  station. 

In  ascending  the  Canyon  the  gr^de  is 
heavy,  deep  cuts  are  numerous,  sage  brush 
abounds,  and  the  country  is  very  broken, 
only  adapted  to  stock  raising.    About 

Oxford— in  Marsh  Valley,  eleven 
miles  from  Battle  Creek, are  a  few  well 
cultivated  farms,  and  herds  of  cattle 
and  sheep  range  around  the  bluffs. 

Swan  Lake — is  the  next  station,  just  be- 
low a  small  sheet  of  water  of  that  name, 
in  which  sport,  at  certain  seasons  of  the 
year,  numbers  of  swans.  The  Malad 
Mountains  border  the  valley  on  the  west, 
beyond  which  is  Malad  Valley  and  river 
of  same  name,  also  Malad  City,  20  miles 
distant.  Pass  on  down  the  valley,  north 
21  miles,  we  come  to 

/  Arimo— a  small  to  wn  of  perhaps  fifty 
people.  The  famous  Soda  Springs  of  Idaho, 
are  30  miles  east  of  this  station,  where  are 
ample  hotel  accommodations  for  tourists, 
but  the  facilities  for  reaching  them  are 
limited,  as  there  is  no  regular  stage  line ; 
livery  team  must  be  procured  at  Arimo 
LeavingArimo  a  low  cut  in  the  mount- 
ains about  five  miles  distant  to  the  north- 
cast,  marks  the  passage  of  Port  Neuf  River 
through  Port  Neuf^ap.  The  old  stage 
road  is  on  our  right,  along  the  base  of  the 
mountain.  After  crossing  a  number  of 
small  creeks,  and  9  miles  from  Arimo 
come  to  Belle  Marsh,  on  Port  Neuf 
River,  down  which  we  go  36  miles. 

Along  this  river  are  many  peculiar  rock 
formations.     In  places  the  rocks  rise  like  a 


solid  wall,  from  20  to  100  feet  from  the 
ground  in  a  line  of  uniform  height  for 
miles  in  extent,  resembling  huge  fortifica- 
tions In  several  places  along  the  road 
there  are  two  and  sometimes  three  of  these 
walls  running  parallell  with  each  other. 
Proceeding  down  the  river  we  come  to 
"Robbers'  Roost"  on  the  right,  about  four 
miles  before  reaching  the  next  station.  It 
is  the  point  where  the  Montana  stage  rob- 
bery was  committed  in  1864 . 


eagle  gate. 

Port  Neuf — once  known  as  Black 
Rock,  so  named  for  the  ridge  of  slate  rock 
to  be  seen  just  east  of  the  station.  It 
is  12  miles  to  Pocatello  and  ten  to 

Ross  Fork. — This  is  a  small  station  on 
the  river  of  the  same  name.  The  lands 
are  mostly  covered  with  sage  brush,  very 
rich,  and  with  irrigation,  water  for  which 
is  abundant — could  be  made  very  produc- 
tive. Stock  raising  is  about  the  only  occu- 
pation the  few  settlers  are  engaged  in. 

Game  of  all  kinds  abounds  in  the  val- 
leys and  in  the  mountains,  while  along 
the  water  courses,  wild  geese  and  ducki 
are  legion.  The  streams,  little  and  big, 
are  full  of  fish,  notably  the  trout,  which 
are  very  abundant  and  bite  with  a  snap 
that  makes  an  old  sportsman  feel  happy. 

Fruit,  apples,  peaches,  pears,  cherries, 
plums,  currants,  and,  in  fact,  all  kindi 
of  fruit  are  raised  by  the  Mormons,  in 
this  and  adjacent  valleys  in  great 
abundance.  Although  we  are  now  in 
Idaho  Territory,  we  shall  speak  of  the 
cliief  towns  and  the  routes  to  them  in 
an  other  place. 

The  direction  of  our  ro.id  from  thii 
point  is  north;  about  three  miles 
brings  us  to 


PACIFIC   COAST  GUIDE. 


Ill 


Blackfoot— named  for  the  Black- 
foot  Indians.  It  is  situated  on  a 
broad,  sage-covered  plain,  one  mile 
north  of  Blackfoot  Biver,  and  two 
miles  southeast  from  Snake  Eiver, 
which  is  here  marked  by  a  dense 
growth  of  trees  and  willows.  The 
place  has  about  200  population  and 
some  good  stores  and  other  buildings. 
Trains  stop  thirty  minutes  for  meals 
—breakfast  and  supper.  Stages  leave 
Blackfoot  for  Challis  daily— distance 
70  miles  northwest,  for  old  Ft.  Hall,  10 
miles  west ;  new  Ft.  Hall,  8  miles  east. 

EivERSiDE— is  a  side-track  station 
on  the  bank  of  the  Snake,  12  miles 
north  from  Blackfoot  and  13  miles 
south  of 

Eagle  Eock— known  by  old-time 
pilgrims  as  Taylor's  BridgCj  at  the 
crossing  of  Snake  Eiver.  See  illustra- 
tion opposite:  both  railroad  and  wagon 
bridge  are  shown,  the  old  and  the  new. 

At  Eagle  Eock  is  located  a  railroad 
round-house  and  repair  shops,  sever- 
al stores,  hotels,  and  a  few  comfort- 
able private  dwellings  of  stockmen 
who  make  this  place  their  headquar- 
ters. 

>  Crossing  the  river,  just  below  the 
old  bridge,  18  miles,  brings  us  to 

Market  Lane  station — unimportant 
except  as  a  shipping  point  for  stock- 
cattle  and  sheep. 

:  The  whole  country,  now,  has  a  vol- 
;canic  appearance — valueless  for  agri- 
cultural purposes— but,  in  and  along 
the  base  of  the  mountains,  on  each 
side  from  five  to  ten  miles  distant, 
the  grasses  are  very  good,  and  all 
kinds  of  stock  do  well.  The  "  Three 
Tetons  "  are  to  be  seen  to  the  east- 
ward. They  overlook  the  Yellow- 
stone National  Park. 

Lava  Siding — a  small  station,  comes 
next  in  10  miles,  from  which  it  is  11 
miles  to 

Camas.- Freight  in  large  quantities 
is  shipped  on  wagons  from  Camas  to 
iChallis— 60  miles  west— and  to  the 
jSalmon  Eiver  mines  to  the  northwest 
1—130  miles.  Stages  also  leave  daily 
for  Salmon  City.  Camas  is  the  near- 
est point  on  the  railroad  to  the  Yel- 
ilowstone  National  Park.  A  wagon 
Toad  has  been  completed  and  stages 
[put  on  the  route.  The  distances  are 
[estimated  by  Col.  Norris,  Superin- 
jendent  of  the  National  Park,  to  be : 


—Camas  to  Henryis  Lake,  60  miles ; 
Henry's  Lake  to  Junction,  25  miles; 
Junction  to  Mammoth  Hot  Springs, 
45  miles — making  130  miles— which  in- 
cludes quite  a  tour  of  the  Park,  en 
route.    (See  Annex  No.  26.) 

Eolling  on  through  sage  brush  and 
barren  wastes  of  volcanic  deposites, 
we  pass  Dry  Creek  in  12  miles,  and 
17  miles  more  reach 

Beaver  Canon  station— 274  miles 
north  of  Ogden.  Passenger  trains 
from  the  north  and  south  meet  here 
for  dinner. 

The  road  for  12  miles  up  Beaver 
Canon  to 

MoNiDA  — is  built  through  some 
beautiful  scenery— to  the  summit  of 
the  Eocky  Mountain  Eange,  altitude 
6,869  feet— and  is  the  first  railroad  to 
cross  the  "Eockies"  from  the  westward 

The  station  of  Monida  is  named  for 
the  two  territories  on  the  line  between 
which  it  is  located—Mon-ida,  Monta- 
na, Idaho.  The "ContinentalDivide," 
marked  by  a  sign-board  on  the  west 
side  of  the  track,  is  just  south  of  the 
station  buildings. 

From  Monida  the  descent  is  gradual 
down  a  little  valley,  a  kind  of  natural 
road-way,  with  magnificent  snow- 
capped mountain  scenery  in  the  dis^ 
tance,and  on  all  sides,  herds  of  cattle, 
sheep  and  varieties  of  game. 

Williams— a  small  station,  is  11 
miles,  and  six  more  to 

Spring  Hill— A  small  unimportant 
station,  situated  in  the  southern  por- 
tion of  Eed  Eock  Valley.  This  valley 
is  nearly  fifty  miles  in  length,  fol- 
lowed by  our  railroad  the  entire  dis- 
ta'nce,  and  also  by  the  river  of  the 
same  name.  The  valley  is  dotted  at 
intervals  with  comfortable  farm 
houses,  many  herds  of  cattle  and 
sheep,  varieties  of  game,  and  some 
well  fenced  and  cultivated  lands. 
Bordering  the  valley  on  the  east  are 
high  rolling,  grass  covered  bluffs, 
with  some  timber  in  the  higher  ra- 
vines, while  on  the  west,  extend  as 
far  as  the  eye  can  see  the  Continental 
Divide,  rising  from  the  valley,  the 
lower  portions  timber-clad,  peak  up- 
on peak,  to  the  region  of  perpetual 
snow,  where  their  white  heads  stand 
forth  as  veterans  of  their  kind, 
indicating  age  at  least,  if  notrespect- 
abilitv. 


112 


CROFUTT  S  NEW  OVERLAND  TOURIST 


Ked  Eock  Station— Is  reached  after 
passing  several  small  side-tracks 
twenty-three  miles  north  from 
Spring  Hill.  About  midway  be- 
tween these  two  stations  is  the  some- 
what noted  Red  Rock,  from  which 
the  valley,  river  and  station  derives 
its  name.  This  rock  is  a  bold  cliff, 
probably  five  hundred  feet  in  height 
and  half  a  mile  long,  projecting  out 
into  the  valley  from  the  eastward— 
of  a  bright  red  color,  and  can  be  seen 
for  a  distance,  up  and  down  the  val- 
ley, for  over  twenty  miles  each  way. 
The  old  wagon  road  follows  this  val- 
ley for  the  entire  length,  and  this 
Rock  was  a  well-known  land  mark  for 
the  "Pilgrims "in  early  days. 

Grayling — Is  a  small  station  eleven 
miles  from  Red  Rock  Station,  near 
the  mouth  of  Beaver  Head  River, 
which  comes  in  from  the  westward. 
Rolling  down  Ryan's  Canon  we 
come  to  a  sign,  "Soda  Springs,"  on 
the  right,  near  a  small  house.  By 
looking  up  we  discover  a  large  stream 
of  water  pouring  over  the  caiion 
walls,  which  is  here  200  feet  in  height. 
As  our  train  stopped  at  a  tank  near 
by  for  water  we  commissioned  our 
Pullman  porter,  a  very  accomodating 
boy  by  the  way,  although  his  name 
was  Vinegar,  to  fill  a  flask.  It  was 
about  blood-heat,  but  not  very  strong 
with  mineral. 

About  eight  miles  from  Greyling 
we  come  to  Beaver  Head  Rock,  at 
the  gateway  or  mouth  of  the  Canon, 
which  here  opens  out  into  the  Beaver 
Head  Valley.  This  valley  is  nearly 
round,  about  twenty  miles  in 
diameter,  in  the  centre  of  whicli, 
eight  miles  from  Beaver  Head  Rock, 
is  situated  the  new  town  of 

Dillon— Named  for  the  President 
of  the  Union  Pacific  Railway.  This 
is  a  busy  place.  Passenger  trains 
going  north  stop  for  supper,  and 
those  for  the  south  breakfast.  Pres- 
ent population,  about  500,  but  increas- 
ing rapidly.  Large  amounts  of  freight 
are  snipped  from  this  Station  on 
"Wagons  for  the  cities,  towns,  and 
mining  camps  to  the  eastward.  The 
"Corinne"  and  "Valley"  are  the 
two  principal  hotels.  Stages  leave 
here  daily  on  arrival  of  trains  for  the 
following  places :  Salisbury,  35  miles, 
fare,  $8;  Virginia  City,  60  miles,  fare, 
$12 ;  Helena,  120  miles,  fare  $24 ;  Boze- 


man,  140  miles,  fare,  $24. 

The  valley  of  the  Beaver  Head  is 
nearly  round,  and  not  far  from  twen- 
ty miles  in  diameter,  about  one- 
fourth  of  which  is  under  cultivation, 
producing  good  crops  of  small  grains 
and  vegetables;  the  balance  is 
occupied  by  stock  raisers,  some  of 
whom  have  large  herds  of  cattle  and 
sheep.  The  mountains  on  the  west 
are  high,  many  of  the  most  elevated 
peaks  covered  with  snow.  This  range 
is  a  continuation  of  the  Continental 
Divide — heretofore  noticed. 

Ten  miles  from  Dillon  the  Railroad 
bears  away  more  to  the  northwest. 
We  pass  several  small  stations  while 
rolling  along  down  a  beautiful  little 
valley  for  31  miles  to 

Melrose— This  is  a  small  place  of 
several  hundred  population,  situated 
on  the  Big  Hole  or  Windom  River, 
which  comes  down  from  the  west.  The 
town  was  named  for  Miss  Melrose, 
daughter  of  Mrs.  Blow,  who  keeps  at 
this  place  one  of  the  best  hotels  in 
Montana,  and,  by  the  way,  the  Madam 
has  an  extraordinary  history  in  con- 
nection with  the  hostile  Indians  who 
infested  this  country  many  years 
ago,  one  worthy  to  rank  with  the 
most  heroic  deeds  of  bravery  record- 
ed of  mothers  in  the  annals  of  fron- 
tier life  in  this  country,  but  we  have 
not  the  space  to  record  it. 

Butte.— The  first  of  the  year,  1882, 
this  was  the  "  end  of  the  track,"  but 
it  is  very  hard  for  a  guide-book  to  tell 
just  where  the  terminus  of  any  west- 
ern road  will  be  next  month,  next 
week,  or  even  to-morrow.  Yes,  and 
it  is  difiQcultfor  one  to  keep  up  with 
the  older  portions  of  our  trans  Miss- 
ouri country  as  everybody  appears  to 
be  running  a  foot  race  to  settle  upon 
and  gather  up  the  numberless  good 
things  that  are  laying  about  all  over 
this  fair  land. 

The  new  town  of  Butte  is  surround- 
ed by  rich  mineral  prospects,  with  a 
bright  out-look  for  the  future.  Stages 
leave  here  daily  for  Boulder,  37  miles, 
fare  $4.50;  Jefferson,  50  miles,  fare 
$6.00;  Helena,  72  miles,  fare  $8.00; 
New  Chicago,  76  miles,  fare  $9.50; 
Missoula,  132  miles,  fare  $15. 

Montana  Territory— For  many 
years  was  considered  solely  as  a  min- 
ing country,  but  there  was  never  a 
greater  mistake.     That  it  does  con- 


PACIFIC   COAST  GUIDE. 


115^ 


tain  mines,  of  all  kinds,  in  great 
numbers,  rich,  and  inexhausti- 
ble is  well  known,  but  the  agri- 
cultural and  stock  raising  re- 
sources are  immense.  At  one 
time  it  possessed  excellent  "pla- 
cer" mines  and  "gold  diggings," 
but  they  have  been  to  a  great 
extent,  worked  out.  Yet  there 
are  still  some  camps  where  good 
pay  is  being  taken  out,  and  many 
of  the  "old  diggings"  are  being 
worked  over  by  the  "heathen 
Chinee,"  and  with  good  results. 
The  mining  is  now  mostly  con- 
fined to  quartz,  some  of  which 
are  of  extraordinary  richness. 

No  section  of  our  country  at 
the  present  time  offers  greater 
inducements  to  the  immigrant 
and  capitalist  than  Montana. 
Its  population  by  the  late  cen- 
sus was  39,157,  but  the  comple- 
tion of  the  railway  to  the  heart 
of  the  territory,  the  low  rates 
of  transportation,  quick  transit, 
both  passengers  and  freight,  as 
compared  with  wagons  and 
stage,  will  promote  and  assure 
rapid  development.  Aside  from 
the  mining  advantages  the  val- 
leys of  the  Missouri,  Madison, 
Gallatin,Yellowstone,  and  many 
other  rivers,  possess  the  very 
best  of  farming  and  grazing 
lands  in  quantities  sufficient  to 
support  millions  of  industrious 
people. 

Labor  of  all  kinds  is  in  de- 
mand, and  the  wages  paid  are 
doubletheamount,  for  the  same 
services,  current  in  the  east. 

Game,  of  all  kinds  is  abundant 
all  over  the  territory,  and  for 
scenery,  the  equal  of  Montana  is 
yet  to  be  discovered.  For  arti- 
cles on  the  Yellowstone  National 
Park,  see  Annex  Nos.  26,  35,  36, 
and  illustrations  on  pages  24, 104, 
113, 146,  and  the  large  double  page 
plate  of  Yellowstone  Falls,  No.  8. 

Guides  and  all  equifjage  ne- 
cessary to  athoroughenjoyment 
of  the  trip  to  the  Park  can  be 

grocured  at  Virginia  City,  or  in  Lower 
reyser  Basin.  Fare  from  Virginia 
City  to  Lower  Geyser  Basin,  $20. 
Parties  of  ten  or  more  will  be  carried 


eiANTBSS  GETSBR  IK  ERUPTION. 

from  Virginia  City  to  Lower  Geyser 
Basin  and  return  for  $30  each. 

Again  returning  to  Ogden,  we  take 
up  the  Overland  Boute. 


114 


PACIFIC   COAST   GUIDE. 


HON,  LELAND  STANFOKD. 


Ex-Qovemor  Lei  and  Stanford,  President 
of  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad  of  Califor- 
nia, was  bom  in  the  town  of  Watervliet, 
Albany  county,  N.  Y.,-  March  9, 1824.  His 
ancestors  were  English,  who  settled  in  the 
Valley  of  the  Mohawk  about  the  beginning 
of  the  last  century.  Josiah  Stanford, 
father  of  Leland,  was  a  farmer  and  promi- 
nent  citizen  of  the  county,  whose  family 
consisted  of  seven  sons — Leland  being  the 
fourth — and  one  daughter.  Until  the  age 
of  twenty,  Leland's  time  was  passed -at 
fitudy  and  on  the  farm.  He  then  com- 
menced the  study  of  law,  and  in  1845  en- 
tered the  law  office  of  Wheaten,  Doolittle 
&  Hudley,  in  Albany,  N.  Y.  In  1849  he 
moved  West,  and  commenced  the  practice 
of  law  at  Port  Washington,  Wisconsin. 
Here,  in  June,  1850,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Jane  Lathrop.  In  1853,  we  find 
him  following  many  of  his  friends  to  the 
new  El  Dorado.  He  landed  in  California 
July  13,  1853,  proceeded  directly  to  the 


mines,  and  settled  at  Michigan  Bluffs,  on 
the  American  River,  Placer  county,  and  in 
a  few  years  he  had  not  only  realized  a  for- 
tune, but  so  far  won  the  confidence  of  the 
people  as  to  secure  the  nomination  for 
State  Treasurer,  in  1859,  on  the  Republican 
ticket.  At  this  time  the  Democratic  party 
had  never  been  beaten,  and  the  canvass 
was  made  on  principle.  He  was  defeated 
but  in  1861 — a  split-up  in  the  ranks  of  the 
dominant  party  having  taken  places— he 
was  nominated  for  Governor,  and  elected 
by  a  plurality  of  23,000  votes.  How  he  per- 
formed  the  trust,  is  well  knovni.  Suffice  it 
to  say,  he  received  the  thanks  of  the  Leg- 
islature and  won  the  approval  of  all  classes 
Governor  Stanford  early  moved  in  the  in. 
terest  of  the  Pacific  Railroad ;  and  on  the 
22d  of  February,  1863,  while  Sacramento 
was  still  staggering  under  the  devastat- 
ing flood,  and  all  was  gloomy  in  the  fu- 
ture, with  the  whole  country  rent  by  civil 
war,  he— all  hope,  all  life  and  energy— 


les^'^ 


illl|!!!!!lilllll!l, 


I   I 

IIV  Pli"i 


rrwi 


iiil! 


iii 


■^1 


V^' 


AND   PACIFIC   COAST   GUipE. 


115 


shoveled  the  first  earth,  and  May  10, 
1869,  drove  the  last  spike  at  Promon- 
tory, Utah,  which  completed  the  first 
Great  Pacific  Eailroad  across  the 
American  continent. 

Central  Pacific  Railroad, 

Of&cial  headquarters,  corner  Fourth  and  Town- 
send  Streets,  San  Francisco,  Cal, 
Leland  Stanford.  .  .President. .  .San Francisco. 

C.  P.  Huntington Vice-Prest Neiv  York. 

Chas.  Cbocker Vice-Prest.  .San Francisco. 

E.W.Hopkins Treasurer..  " 

E.  H.  MiiiiiEB,  JR Secretary..  " 

A.  N.  TowNE Gen'l  Mg'r.  " 

J.  A.  FiiiiiMOKE Gen'l  Supt.  " 

R.  H.  Pratt Ass't  Supt. .  " 

T.H.Goodman G.P.&T.A.  " 

R.  A.  Donaldson Assistant  ..  " 

J.  C.  Stubbs F.T.Mg'r.  " 

RiCHABD  Gbey G.F.  A " 

S.  S.  Montague Chief  Engr.  " 

Land  Com'r  " 

W.  H.  Porter .'. .  Auditor " 

O.  C.  Wheeler Gen'l B.  Agt  " 

F.  Knowland,  GenH  Eastern  Ag't,  287B'wayN.  Y. 
M.  T.  Dennis,  Gen'l  Eastern  Ag't  for  New  Eng., 

Boston,  Mass 


As  most  of  the  people  who  read  this 
book,  we  conclude,  are  familiar  with 
the  history  of  the  building  of  the  Pa- 
cific E.  R.,  and  as  we  have,  for  13  years 
past,  published  a  condensed  account 
of  it— the  trials,  struggles  and  final  tri- 
umph of  the  enterprise — it  must  suf- 
fice for  this  time  to  give  a  few  facts  and 
figures,  and  then  pass  on  to  our  review 
of  the  cities,  towns  and  objects  of  in- 
terest along  the  road  and  in  the  coun- 
try adjacent.  The  first  survey  was  for 
the  Central,  over  the  Sierra  Nevada 
Mountains,  by  Theo.  D.  Judah,  in  the 
Summer  of  1860,  followed  in  1861  by  a 
more  thorough  one,  when  a  passage 
was  discovered  and  declared  feasible. 

In  1862  Congress  granted  the  Pacific 
railroad  charter,  and  the  first  ground 
was  broken  for  it  by  the  Central,  at 
Sacramento,  Cal.,  Feb.  22,  1863,  two 
years  and  eight  months  before  ground 
was  broken  for  the  Union,  at  Omaha, 


THE  WAY  WE  ONCE  WENT  TO  VIRGINIA  CITY. 


116 


CROFUTT'S  NEW  OVERLAND  TOURIST 


Neb.  The  following  will  show  the  num- 
ber of  miles  completed  by  the  Central 
during  each  year :  In  1863-4-5, 20  miles 
each  year;  in  1866,  30  miles;  in  1867, 46 
miles ;  in  1868,  364  miles ;  in  1869, 190i 
miles,  making  690i  miles  from  Sacra- 
mento to  Promontory,  where  the  roads 
met,  May  10, 1869. 

The  whole  length  of  the  Pacific  rail- 
road proper,  from  Omaha  to  Sacra- 
mento, is  1,776^  miles,  of  which  the 
Union  built  1,085  and  the  Central  690^ 
miles.  By  a  subsequent  arrangement, 
the  Union  relinquished  53  miles  to  the 
Central,  and  in  '69  the  latter  purchased 
the  whole  of  the  Western  Pacific,  from 
San  Francisco  to  Sacramento,  137^ 
milesinlength,whichgave  the  Central 
Pacific  882  miles  of  road,  from  Ogden 
to  San  Francisco,  and  made  the  en- 
tire line  from  Omaha  to  San  Francis- 
co 1,914  miles. 

"  AH  aboard,"  is  now  the  order,  and 
our  train  glides  northward  through 
the  western  suburbs  of  Ogden,  cross- 
ing broad  bottom  lands,  largely  under 
cultivation.  The  Weber  River  is  on 
the  left,  the  long  high  range  of  the  Wa- 
satch Mountains  on  the  right.  Within 
a  few  miles  the  Ogden  River  is  cross- 
ed, and  also  many  irrigating  canals. 
The  track  of  the  Utah  &  Northern  is  on 
the  right,  and  will  be  for  the  next  24 
miles,  near  the  foot  of  the  mountains ; 
and  as  the  towns  and  objects  of  note 
were  described  on  the  trip  over  that 
road  they  will  be  passed  in  this  place. 

BoiineTille — is  the  first  that  we 
pass  on  the  Central.  It  is  9.9  miles  from 
Ogden,  near  Willard,  in  the  midst  of 
good  farming  land,  which  yields  large 
crops  of  wheat,  barley  and  corn. 

Brighaiii— comes  next,  7 :14  miles 
further.  The  town  is  to  the  eastward, 
near  the  base  of  the  mountains,  here- 
tofore described  under  the  head  of  the 
Utah  &  Northern.  Passing  Brigham, 
the  road  inclines  to  the  left,  west,  and 
crosses  Bear  River  on  a  trestle  bridge 
1,200  feet  long,  the  piles  of  which  were 
driven  in  water  18  feet  deep ;  and  half 
a  mile  further,  and  7.14  miles  from 
Brigham,  we  stop  at 


Colorado  was  first  visited  by  white  men  — 
Spaniards— in  1540.  Explored  by  Z.  M.  Pike,  who 
gave  his  name  to  Pike's  Peak,  in  1806  ;  by  Col. 
S.  H.  Long  in  1820,  who  named  Long's  Peak  ;  by 
Gen.  Fremont  in  1843 ;  by  Gov.  Wm.  Giipin  in 
1840,  who  has  traversed  the  country  more  or 
less  until  the  present  time. 


Corinne — This  city  is  not  as  prosper- 
ous in  its  mercantile  and  forwarding  busi- 
ness as  it  was  several  years  ago,  owing 
principally  to  the  fact  that  the  Utah  North, 
ern  has  been  extended  north  too  far ;  and 
then  the  taking  up  of  the  branch  track 
from  the  city  has  entirely  cut  off  the 
freighting  business  to  Montana  and  the 
northern  settlements,  that  formerly  went 
from  this  place.  However,  the  citizens  are 
by  no  means  blue,  but  have  built  a  canal 
from  a  point  11  miles  to  the  northward, 
and  now  conduct  the  waters  of  the  Malad 
River  down  to  the  city,  and  not  only  use  it 
for  irrigating  thousands  of  acres  of  land, 
but  for  city  and  manufacturing  purposes, 
chief  of  which  is  a  flouring  mill  which 
produces  about  four  tons  of  flour  a  day. 
Corinne  has  three  churches,  a  good  school, 
several  hotels,  and  a  weekly  newspaper, 
the  Record. 

Many  of  the  citizens  have  embarked  in 
the  stock-raising  business,  and  are  doing 
well ;  the  range  to  the  northward  is  very 
good.  Around  the  town  are  many  thou- 
sand acres  of  land,  which  only  require 
irrigation  and  culture  to  render  them  pro- 
ductive  in  the  highest  degree. 

Again  Westward!  The  farming  lands 
gradually  give  wajr  to  alkali  beds — white, 
barren,  and  glittering  in  the  sun.  Now 
the  road  curves  along  the  bank  of  the  lake, 
crossing  the  low  flats  on  a  bed  raised 
several  feet  above  the  salt  deposits.  The 
channel  along  the  road,  caused  by  excava- 
tion, is  filled  with  a  reddish,  cold-looking 
water.  Taste  it  at  the  first  opportunity, 
and  you  will  wish  that  the  first  opportu- 
nity had  never  ofiered. 

Quarry — is  7.64  miles  further  west, 
being  a  side-track  where  trains  seldom  stop, 
but  skirt  along  the  base  of  the  mountains 
with  the  lake  and  broad  alkali  bottoms  on 
the  left.  The  cars  pass  over  several  long 
and  high  embankments,  and  reach  the 
high  broken  land  again  at 

Bine  Creek— which  is  11.96  miles 
from  Quarry.  During  the  construction  of 
the  road,  this  was  one  of  the  hardest 
"  Camps  "  along  the  whole  line. 

Leaving  the  station,  we  cross  Blue  Creek 
on  a  trestle  bridge  300  feet  long  and  30  feet 
high.  Thence  by  tortuous  curves  we  wind 
around  the  heads  of  several  little  valleys, 
crossing  them  well  against  the  hillside  by 
heavy  fills.  The  track  along  here  has 
been  changed,  avoiding  several  long  tres- 
tle bridges,  and  running  on  a  solid  cm 
bankment. 


crofutt's  new  overland  tourist 


117 


MAP 

OF  THE 

CENTRAL  PACIFIC  RAILROAD 

CAUFORNIA. 
SCALE  200  MILES  TO  I  INCH 


PROFILE 

HOR.  SCALE  200   MILES  TO  I  INCH.     <9 
VERT. SCALE  10.080 FEET  TO  IINCH       Z 


600 


700 


Through  more  deep  rock  cuts  we  wind 
around  Promontoiy  Mountain  until  the 
lake  is  lost  to  view.  Up,  up  we  go,  the 
engine  puflSng  and  snorting  with  its  ardu- 
ous  labors,  until  the  summit  is  gained,  and 
we  arrive  at  the  former  terminus  of  the  two 
Pacific  railroads— 8.93  miles  from  Blue 
Creek. 

Promontory— elevation,  4,905  feet; 
distance  from  Omaha  1,084  miles;  from 
San  Francisco  830  miles — is  celebrated  for 
being  the  point  where  the  connection  be- 
tween the  two  roads  was  made  on  the  10th 
of  May,  1869. 

This  town  formerly  very  lively,  is  now 
almost  entirely  deserted.  The  supply  of 
water  is  obtained  from  a  spring  about  four 
miles  south  of  the  road,  in  one  of  the 
gulches  of  Promontory  Mountain. 

The  bench  on  which  the  station  stands 
would  doubtless  produce  vegetables  or 
grain,  if  it  could  be'irrigated,  for  the  sandy 
soil  is  largely  mixed  with  loam,  and  the 
bunch  grass  and  sage-brush  grow  lux- 
uriantly. 


The  liRSt  Spike— On  Monday,  the 
lOlh  day  of  May.  1869,  a  large  party  was 
congregated  on  Promontory  Point,  Utah 
Territory,  gathered  from  the  four  quarters 
of  the  Union,  and,  we  might  say,  from  the 
four  quarters  of  the  earth.  There  were 
men  from  the  pine-clad  hills  of  Maine, 
the  rock-bound  coast  of  Massachusetts, 
the  everglades  of  Florida,  the  golden 
shores  of  the  Pacific  slope,  from  China, 
Europe,  and  the  wilds  of  the  American 
continent.  There  were  the  lines  of  blue- 
clad  bovs,  with  their  burnished  muskets 
and  glistening  bayonets,  and  over  all,  in 
the  bright  May  sun,  floated  the  glorious 
old  stars  and  stripes,  an  emblem  of  unity, 
power  and  prosperity.  They  are  grave, 
earnest  men,  most  of  them,  who  are  gath- 
ered here ;  men  who  would  not  leave  their 
homes  and  business  and  traverse  half  or 
two-thirds  of  the  continent  only  on  the 
most  urgent  necessity,  or  on  an  occasion  of 
great  national  importance,  such  as  they 
might  never  hope  to  behold  again.  It  was 
to  witness  such  an  event,  to  be  present  at 


118 


CKOFUTT  S    NEW    OVERLAND    TOURIST 


AND    PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


119 


the  consummation  of  one  of  the  grandest 
of  modern  enterprises,  that  they  had  gath- 
ered here.  They  were  here  to  do  honor 
to  the  occasion  when  1 ,774  miles  of  rail- 
road should  be  united,  binding  in  one  un- 
broken chain  the  East  and  the  "West. 
(Sacramento  at  that  time  was  the  western 
terminus.) 

To  witness  this  grand  event — to  be  par- 
takers in  the  glorious  act — this  assemblage 
had  convened.  All  around  was  excite- 
ment and  bustle  that  morning ;  men  hurry- 
ing to  and  fro,  grasping  their  neighbors' 
hands  in  hearty  greeting,  as  they  paused 
to  ask  or  answer  hurried  questions.  This 
is  the  day  of  final  triumph  of  the  friends 
of  the  road  over  their  croaking  opponents, 
for  long  ere  the  sun  shall  kiss  the  western 
summits  of  the  gray  old  monarchs  of  the 
desert,  the  work  will  be  accomplished,  the 
assemblage  dispersed,  and  quiet  reign 
once  more,  broken  only  by  the  hoarse 
scream  of  the  locomotive ;  and  when  the 
lengthening  mountain  shadows  shall 
sweep  across  the  plain,  flecked  and  mot- 
tled with  the  departing  sunbeams,  they 
will  fall  on  the  iron  rails  which  will 
stretch  away  in  one  unbroken  line  from 
the  Sacramento  to  the  Missouri  River. 

The  hours  passed  slowly  on  until  the 
sun  rode  high  in  the  zenith,  his  glittering 
rays  falling  directly  down  upon  the  vacant 
place  between  the  two  roads,  which  was 
waiting  to  receive  the  last  tie  and  rails 
which  would  unite  them  forever.  On 
either  road  stood  long  lines  of  cars,  the 
impatient  locomotives  occasionally  snorts 
ing  out  their  cheering  notes,  as  though  they 
understood  what  was  going  on,  and  rejoiced 
in  common  with  the  excited  assemblage. 

To  give  eflect  to  the  proceedings,  ar- 
rangements had  been  made  by  which  the 
large  cities  of  the  Union  should  be  notified 
of  the  exact  minute  and  second  when  the 
road  should  be  finished.  Telegraphic 
communications  were  organized  with  the 
principal  cities  of  the  East  and  West,  and 
at  the  designated  hour  the  lines  were  put 
in  connection,  and  all  other  business  sus- 
pended. In  San  Francisco  the  wires  were 
connected  with  the  fire-alarm  in  the  tower, 
where  the  ponderous  bell  could  spread  the 
news  over  the  city  the  instant  the  event 
occured.  Baltimore,  Philadelphia,  Bos- 
ton, New  York,  Cincinnati,  and  Chicago 
were  waiting  for  the  moment  to  arrive 
when  the  chained  lightning  should  be 
loosed,  carrying  the  news  of  a  great  civil 


victory  over  the  length  and  breadth  of  the 
land. 

The  hour  and  minute  designated  ar- 
rived, and  Leland  Stanford,  President,  as- 
sisted by  other  ofiicers  of  the  Central  Pa- 
cific, came  forward ;  T.  C.  Durant,  Vice- 
President  of  the  Union  Pacific,  assisted  by 
General  Dodge  and  others  of  the  same 
company,  met  them  at  the  end  of  the  rail, 
whei  e  they  reverently  paused,  while  Rev. 
Dr.  Todd,  of  Mass.,  invoked  the  Divine 
blessing.  Then  the  last  tie,  a  beautiful 
piece  of  w  orkraanship,  of  California  laurel, 
with  silver  plates  on  which  were  suitable 
inscriptions,  was  put  in  place,  and  the 
last  connecting  rails  were  laid  by  parties 
from  each  company.  The  last  spikes 
were  then  presented,  one  of  gold  from 
California,  one  of  silver  from  Nevada,  and 
one  of  gold,  silver  and  iron  from  Arizona. 
President  Stanford  then  took  the  hammer, 
made  of  solid  silver — and  to  the  handle  of 
which  were  attached  the  telegraph  wires — 
and  with  the  first  tap  on  the  head  of  the 
gold  spike  at  12,  m.,  the  news  of  the  event 
was  flashed  over  the  continent.  Speeches 
were  made  as  each  spike  was  driven, 
and  when  all  was  completed,  cheer  after 
cheer  rent  the  air  from  the  enthusiastic 
assemblage, 

Then  the  Jupiter,  a  locomotive  of  the 
C.  P.  R.  R.  Co.,  and  locomotive  No.  116,  of 
the  U.  P.  R.  R.  Co.,  approached  from  each 
way,  meeting  on  the  dividing  line,  where 
they  rubbed  their  brown  noses  together, 
while  shaking  hands,  as  illustrated. 

To  say  that  wine  flowed  freely  would 
convey  but  a  faint  idea  of  the  good  feeling 
manifested  and  the  provision  made  by  each 
company  for  the  entertainment  of  their 
guests,  and  the  celebration  of  the  event. 

Immediately  on  the  completion  of  the 
work,  a  charge  was  made  on  the  h  st  tie 
(not  the  silver-plated,  gold-spiked  laurel, 
for  that  had  been  removed  and  a  pine  tie 
substituted)  by  relic  hunters,  and  soon  it 
was  cut  and  hacked  to  pieces,  and  the 
fragments  carried  away  as  trophies  or  me- 
mentoes of  the  great  event.  Even  one  of  the 
last  raild  laid  in  place  was  cut  and  battered 
so  badly  that  it  was  removed  and  another 
substituted.  Weeks  after  the  event  we 
passed  the  place  again,  and  found  an  enthu- 
siastic person  cutting  a  piece  out  of  the 
last  tie  1  aid.  He  was  proud  of  his  treasure 
—  that  littje  chip  of  pine — for  it  was  a  piece 
of  the  last  tie.  We  did  not  tell  him  that 
three  or  four  ties  had  been  placed  there 
since  the  first  was  cut  in  pieces. 


PACIFIC  COAST  Guib:^. 


121 


In  the  cars  belonging  to  each  line,  a 
sumptuous  repast  was  served  up  to  the  in- 
vited guests.  Then,  as  the  sun  sank  low- 
to  the  western  summit  of  Promontory. 
Point,  the  trains  moved  away  with 
parting  salutes  from  locomotives, and 
the  celebration  was  ended,the  partici- 
pants speeding  away  to  their  far  dis- 
tant homes,  and  so  closed  the  eventful 
day  on  Promontory  Point. 

For  Sketch  of  Great  Salt  Lake,  see 
Annex  No.  21. 

For  Hudnut's  Survey  of  route  to  Oregon, 
see  Annex  No.  28. 

We  now  resume  our  westward  journey 
from  Promontory.  Four  miles  west  (near 
a  gravel  track  on  the  north  side)  can  be 
seen  close  to  the  road,  on  the  south  side,  a 
sign-board,  which  reads, 

"ten  miles  of  track  in  one  dvy." 
Again,  on  the  same  side,  ten  miles  fur- 
ther west,  another  with  the  same  inscrip- 
tion will  appear.  These  boards  mark  the 
track  which  was  laid  by  the  track  layers  of 
the  Central  Pacific  company  in  one  day, 
under  the  immediate  charge  of  J.  H. 
Strowbridge,  Superintendent  of  Construc- 
tion, H.  H.  MinRler,  track  layer,  and  James 
Campbell,  Superintendent  of  Division. 
This  undoubtedly  is  the  most  extraordinary 
feat  of  the  kind  ever  accomplished  in  this 
or  any  other  country. 

Why  it  was  done— During  the  build- 
ing of  the  road,  a  great  rivalry  existed  be- 
tween the  two  companies  as  to  which  could 
lay  the  most  track  in  one  day.  This  ri- 
valry commenced  early  in  the  year  1868. 
The  "  Union  "  laying  six  miles;  soon  after 
the  "  Central  "  laid  seven  miles,  and  then 
again  the  "  Union  "  seven  and  a  half  miles. 
The  "  Central "  men,  not  to  be  outdone,  an- 
nounced that  they  could  lay  ten  miles  in 
a  day.  Mr.  Durant,  Vice-President  of 
the  "Union"  offered  to  bet  $10,000  that 
itcouldnotbedone,andthe  "Central" 
resolved  it  should  be  done.  Conse- 
quently,on  the  29th  of  April,1869,when 
only  fourteen  miles  of  track  remained 
to  be  laid  to  meet  the  "Union"  at  Pro- 
montory Point,  and  in  the  presence  of 
Gov.  Stanford  and  manvprominent 
men  from  the  East  and  West,  and  a 
committee  from  the  "Union"  to  note 
the  progress,  the  work  commenced. 
How  IT  WAS  DONE — -When  the  car 
loaded  with  rails  came  to  the  end  of  the 
•  track,  the  two  outer  rails  on  either  side 
were  seized  with  iron  nippers,  hauled  for- 


ward off  the  car,  and  laid  on  the  ties  by  four 
men  who  attended  exclusively  to  this.  Over 
these  rails  the  car  was  pushed  forward,  and 
the  process  repeated.  Behind  these  men 
came  a  gang  of  men  who  half-drove  the 
spikes  and  screwed  on  the  fish-plates.  At 
a  short  interval  behind  these  came  a  gang 
of  Chinamen,  who  drove  home  the  spikes 
already  inserted  and  added  the  rest.  Be- 
hind these  came  a  second  squad  of  China- 
men, two  deep  on  each  side  of  the  track. 
The  inner  men  had  shovels,  the  outer  ones 
picks.  Together,  they  ballasted  the  track. 
The  average  rate  of  speed  at  which  all 
these  processes  were  carried  on  was  one 
minute  and  473^  seconds  to  every  240  feet 
of  track  laid  down. 

Material  Required— —Those  unac- 
quainted with  the  enormous  amount  of  ma- 
terial required  to  build  ten  miles  of  rail- 
road can  learn  something  from  the  follow- 
ing figures :  It  requires  35,800  cross  ties, 
3,520  iron  rails,  55,000  spikes,  7,040  fish- 
plates, and  14,080  bolts,  the  whole  weigh- 
ing 4,862,000  lbs.  This  material  is  required 
for  a  single  track,  exclusive  of"  turnouts." 
To  bring  this  material  forward  and  place 
it  in  position,  over  4,000  men,  and  Jiun- 
dreds  of  cars  and  wagons  were  employed. 
The  discipline  acquired  in  the  four  years 
since  the  commencement  of  the  road  en- 
abled the  force  to  begin  at  the  usual  time 
in  the  morning,  calm  and  unexcited,  and 
march  steadily  on  to  "Victory,"  as  the 
place  where  they  rested  at  1 :30  p.  m.  was 
called,  having  laid  eight  miles  of  track  in 
six  hours.  Here  this  great  **  Central "  army 
must  be  fed,  but  Campbell  was  equal  to  the 
requirements.  The  camp  and  water  train 
was  brought  up  at  the  proper  moment,  and 
the  whole  force  took  dinner,  including 
many  distinguished  guests.  After  the 
"Aowr  nooning,''  the  army  was  again  on 
the  march,  and  at  precisely  7  p.  m.  10  miles 
and  2^  feet  had  been  completed. 

When  this  was  done,  the  "  Union  "  Com- 
mittee expressed  their  satisfaction  and  re- 
turned to  their  camp,  and  Campbell  sprang 
upon  the  engine  and  ran  it  over  the  ten 
miles  of  track  in  forty  minutes,  thus  dem- 
onstrating that  the  work  was  well  done. 

Soon  after  leaving  Promontory,  the  grade 
of  the  road  descends,  and  7.93  miles  we 
reach 

Rosel— situated  almost  on  the  edge  of 
Salt  Lake.  It  is  an  unimportant  station, 
where  passenger  trains  never  stop,  unless 
signaled.  A  few  miles  further,  and  we 
pass  the  sign-board  where  commenced  the 


12-2 


CKOFUTT'S    NEW    OVERLAND    TOURIST 


work  of  laying  the  "ten  miles  of  track  in 
one  day."  Continuing  along  on  the  lake 
shore,  with  large  bluff  on  the  right,  for  9.49 
miles  further,  we  pass 

Lake — another  side-track,  and  6.98 
miles  more  arrive  at 

Monnment — Here,  many  times,  the 
lake  breeze  sweeps  by,  bearing  the  heavy 
alkaline  and  saline  odors  peculiar  to  this 
locality,  and  peculiarly  offensive  to  inva- 
lids. Monument  Point,  a  slim,  tapering 
promontory,  stretches  far  out  into  the  lake, 
covered  with  excellent  grass.  We  shall  not 
see  much  more  of  the  article  for  some  time 
to  come,  for  we  are  now  on  what  might 
well  be  calkd  the  American  Desert.  Leav- 
ing Monument,  it  is  7.34  miles  to 

Neco — another  side-track  of  no  account, 
as  all  is  sage-brush.  Descending  a  heavy 
grade,  we  sweep  around  the  head  of  the 
western  arm  of  the  lake,  nearing  and  leav- 
ing its  waters  for  the  last  time.  Another 
run  of  7.1  miles  brings  us  to 

K.elton — or  Indian  Creek,  as  it  is  some- 
times called.  This  is  a  station  of  more  im- 
portance than  any  yet  passed  since  leaving 
Promontory.  There  are  large  water-tanks 
by  the  road-side,  supplied  from  a  spring 
in  the  foot-hills  some  miles  to  the  north- 
ward. Here  the  Railroad  Co.  fill  their  water- 
cars — a  train  of  which  run  daily  to  supply 
many  of  flie  stations  on  this  division  of  the 
road.  The  Red  Dome  Mountains  show 
their  scattered  spurs  to  the  north,  and 
to  the  southeast  Pilot  Knob  or  Peak  can  be 
seen  lifting  its  rocky  front  far  above  the 
desert. 

From  this  station  a  daily  line  of  coaches 
leaves  for  Idaho  and  Oregon,  on  arrival  of 
the  cars.  The  route  passes  through  Idaho 
and  the  eastern  part  of  Oregon,  connecting 
with  the  steamers  of  the  Oregon  Steam 
Navigation  Company  at  Umatilla,  on  the 
Columbia  River — through  to  Boise  in  two 
days ;  Walla  Walla  in  four  days ;  Portland 
in  five  and  a  half  days. 

The  Boise  Country,  to  which  the  line 
of  stages  spoken  of  conveys  the  adventurous 
passengers,  lies  in  the  southeastern  portion 
o..  Idado  Territory,  bordering  on  Oregon. 
Extensive  mines  of  gold  have  been  worked 
th3r  for  years,  and  still  continue  to  attract 
ma  attention,  as  rich  mines  of  gold-bear- 
ing q  ^'irt-  have  been  discovered  and  worked 
since  th-  placer  mines  have  been  partially 
exhausted.  The  principal  mining  country 
i:j  i  that  portion  generally  designated  as 
the  "^oise  Basin,  which  comprises  a  scope 
of  country  about  150  miles  north  and  south, 


by  a  length  of  about  200  miles.  The  Boise 
mines  lie  north  of  the  Snake  or  Shoshone 
River.  The  principal  streams  in  the 
mining  section  are  Boise  River,  Fayette 
River,  Wind  Creek,  Moore's  Creek  and 
S'llmon  Rlvor.  The  Owyhee  mines  lie 
south  of  the  Snake  River  and  War  Eagle 
Mountains.  This  portion  of  the  mining 
belt  of  Idaho  is  not  as  extensive  as  the  one 
j  ust  mentioned.  The  ores  are  mostly  silver. 
Boise  City— is  the  capital  of  the  Ter- 
ritory and  county  seat  of  Ada  county. 
Population  6,000.  The  town  site  was 
laid  out  la  1863,  and  now  contains 
about  700  buildings,  mostly  brick  and 
stone.  The  town  is  situated  in  a  fine 
agricultural  valley,  about  two  miles 
wide  by  50  long.  It  is  the  center  of 
several  stage  routes,  and  also  of  trade 
for  a  large  section  of  country.  The  States- 
man, a  tri-weekly  paper,  is  published  here. 

Idaho — is  the  second  city  in  size  in  the 
Territory,  population  about  2,500.  It  lies 
36  miles  northeast  of  Boise  City,  with  which 
it  is  connected  with  stage,  and  also  with 
Umatilla,  Oregon.  The  TTcjrZtZ,  newspaper, 
is  published  here — semi-weekly. 

Silver  City — contains  about  2,000  inhab- 
itants. The  buildings  are  mostly  granite. 
The  Avalanche,  a  weekly  paper,  represents 
the  interests  of  the  town. 

We  now  return  to  the  railroad,  and  11.43 
miles  further,  arrive  at 

©mbey — Passenger  trains  seldom  stop 
here,  but  roll  on  9.87  miles  further,  to 

Matlin — This  station  is  on  the  high- 
land, which  sweeps  out  from  the  Red 
Dome  Mountains.  Here  these  oi  ountains — 
low  sandstone  ridges — are  nearer  the  track, 
breaking  the  monotony  of  the  scene. 
The  road  lies  on  the  northern  border 
of  a  vast  waste  whereon  we  see  few 
signs  of  verdure.  The  station  is 
midway  from  east  to  west  of  the 

American  Desert  —  which  extends 
over  an  area  of  60  square  miles.  Over 
this  vast  extent  the  eye  wanders  iru 
vain  for  some  green  object— some  evi- 
dence that  in  times  gone  by  this  waste 
supported  animal  life,  or  will  eventually 
in  years  to  come.  All  is  desolate  in  the 
extreme;  the  bare  beds  of  alkali,  or  wastes 
of  gray  sand  only  meet  the  vision,  if  we 
except  now  and  then  a  rocky  hill  more 
barren  than  the  plains,  if  such  things 
were  possible.  Evidently  this  desert  was 
once  the  bed  of  a  saline  lake,  perhaps  a 
portion  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake  itself.  The 
sloping    plain    sweeps    ofl"  towards    that 


AND    PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


123 


body  of  water,  and  in  places  bends  down 
until  its  thirsty  sands  are  laved  by  tlie 
briny  flood.  Tliere  are  many  evidences  in 
support  of  the  theory  that  it  was  once 
covered  by  those  waters,  although  much 
higher  than  the  present  level  of  the  lake. 
The  saline  matter  is  plainly  discernible  in 
many  places,  and  along  the  red  sandstone 
buttes  which  mark  its  northern  border. 
The  long  line  of  water-wash,  so  distinctly 
seen  at  Ogden,  and  other  points  along  the 
lake  shore,  can  be  distinctly  traced,  and 
apparently  on  the  same  level  as  the  bench 
at  those  places.  The  difference  in  the  alti- 
tude of  the  road  is  plainly  indicated  by 
this  line,  for  as  we  journey  westward,  and 
the  elevation  of  the  plateau  increases,  we 
find  that  the  water-wash  line  blends  with 
the  rising  ground  and  is  seen  no  more. 

Matlin  is  an  unimportant  station,  10.78 
miles  from 

Terrace— Here  the  railroad  company 
have  erected  work-shops  and  a  16-stall 
round-house.  To  the  northward  the  hills 
which  mark  the  entrance  to  the  Thousand 
Spring  Valley  are  plainly  seen ;  they  are 
brown,  bare  and  uninviting  as  the  country 
we  are  passing  through.  Some  mines  are 
reported  near,  but  have  not  yet  been  de- 
veloped.   From  Terrace  it  is  10.54  miles  to 

Bovine— Here  there  is  little  of  interest 
to  note,  the  face  of  the  country  remaining 
about  the  same,  thougli  gradually  improv- 
ing. Spots  of  bunch-grass  appear  at  inter- 
vals, and  the  sage-brush  seems  to  have 
taken  a  new  lease  of  life,  indicating  a  more 
congenial  soil. 

Continuing  on  10.85  miles  further  we 
reach 

liliciii — At  this  point  we  find  water 
tanks  supplied  by  springs  in  the  hills  at 
the  outlet  of  Thousand  Spring  Valley, 
which  lies  to  the  north,  just  behind  that 
first  bare  ridge,  one  of  the  spurs  of  the 
Humboldt  Ridge,  but  a  few  miles  distant. 
The  valley  is  about  four  miles  wide,  and 
not  far  from  60  miles  long,  taking  in  its 
windings  from  this  point  to  where  it 
breaks  over  the  Divide  into  Humboldt  Val- 
ley. It  is  little  better  than  one  continual 
bog  in  the  center — the  water  from  the  nu- 
merous brackish  springs  found  there 
standing  in  pools  over  the  surface.  There 
is  good  range  of  pasturage  for  the  cattle  in 
the  valley  and  hills  beyond.  The  old  em- 
igrant road  branches  off  at  or  near  the 
station,  one  road  passing  through  the  val- 
ley, the  other  following  nearly  the  line  of 


railroad  until  it  reaches  tiie  Humboldt  xia 
Humboldt  Wells. 

Goose  or  Hot  Spring  Creek,  a  small 
stream  which  courses  through  the  valley 
its  entire  length,  sinks  near  by  the  station, 
rising  and  sinking  at  intervals,  until  it  is 
lost  in  the  desert. 

Before  reaching  the  next  station  we 
leave  Utah  and  enter  the  State  of  Nevada. 
Passing  over  11.75  miles  of  up-grade,  our 
train  arrives  at 

Tecoma — In  1874  quite  an  excitement 
was  created  among  the  mining  operators 
by  the  discovery  of  rich  silver  and  lead 
mines,  situated  about  five  miles  south  of 
this  station  in  the  Toano  ran^e  of  moun- 
tains. A  new  tow^n  was  laid  out  at  the 
mines — called  Buel.  A  smelting  furnace 
was  erected  at  the  mines  and  a  run  of  200 
tons  of  bullion  produced,  valued  at  $360,- 
000,  which  was  shipped  to  San  Francisco 
on  one  train,  creating  no  small  excitement 
on  California  street.  Indications  of  coal 
mines  have  been  found  in  the  vicinity,  but 
no  systematic  effort  has  yet  been  made  to 
develop  them. 

Stock-raising  is  now  the  principal  busi- 
ness of  this  country.  To  the  northward  of 
this  station,  and  in  fact  for  the  last  two 
stations,  large  herds  of  cattle  can  be  seen, 
and  at  the  stations,  pens  and  shutes  for 
shipping. 

Pilot  Peak,  a  noted  landmark  which 
has  been  visible  for  the  past  fifty  miles, 
lies  almost  due  south  of  this  station — dis- 
tance 36  miles.  It  is  a  lofty  pile  of  rocks 
— the  eastern  terminus  of  Pilot  Mountains 
— rising  about  2,500  feet  above  the  barren 
sands.  For  about  half-way  from  the  base 
to  the  summit  the  sides  are  shelving  piles 
of  shattered  i  ock — huge  masses  crushed  to 
atoms.  Above  that  it  rises  perpendicularly 
the  summit  looking  like  some  old  castle 
when  seen  at  a  distance.  From  Promontory 
Point  lookingwestward,  this  vastpile  can  be 
seen  on  a  clear  day— a  dark  mass  amid  the 
bluehaze  which  bounds  the  western  horizon. 
To  the  emigrant,  in  early  days,  before  the 
railroad,  it  was  a  welcome  landmark,  point- 
ing his  course  to  Humboldt  Wells  or  Thou- 
sand Spring  Valley,  where  he  was  sure  to 
find  water  and  feed  for  his  weary  teams, 
afier  crossing  the  barren  waste. 

From  Tecoma  it  is  9.56  miles  up-grade  to 

Montello— elevation  4,999  feet.  The 
general  aspect  of  the  country  is  changing 
with  the  increasing  elevation.  We  ap- 
proach nearer  the  long,  rough  ridge  of  the 
1  Goose  Creek  Range,  the  sides  and  gulches 


124 


CROFUTT  S    NEW    OVERLAND    TOURIST 


of  which  afford  pasturage  and  water  at 
intervals.  We  are  leaving  the  barren 
sands  behind  us,  and  the  country  looks 
more  capable  of  supporting  animal  life. 

Continuing  the  up-grade — over  550  feet 
within  the  next  9.6  miles — we  arrive  at 

liOray — a  station  of  little  importance 
to  ihe  traveler. 

From  Loray,  up  we  go  for  7.1  miles 
further  to 

Toano — until  recently  the  end  of  the 
division. 

The  company  have  here  erected  work- 
shops and  a  14-stall  round-house.  Toano  is 
centrally  located  as  regards  many  mining 
districts  in  Eastern  Nevada,  among  which 
are  Egan  Canyon,  Kinsley,  Kern,  Patter- 
son, Ely,  Pahranagat  and  Deep  Creek— all 
of  which  are  under  rapid  development.  A 
stage  line  is  in  operation  from  this  place  to 
Egan  Canyon  and  the  Cherry  Creek  mines, 
a  distance  of  90  miles  south.  Soon  after 
leaving  Toano  we  begin  the  ascent  of  Ce- 
dar Pass,  which  divides  the  Desert  from 
Humboldt  Valley.  The  country  is  more 
broken,  but  possessing  more  vegetation. 
We  have  passed  the  western  line  of  the 
desert,  where,  in  early  days,  the  travel- 
worn  emigrant  wearily  toiled  through  the 
burning  sand,  his  journey  unenlivened  by 
the  sight  of  water  or  vegetation.  One  word 
more,  regarding  this  desert :  The  term  sand 
is  generally  applied,  when  speaking  of  the 
soil  of  the  barren  wastes  which  occur  at 
intervals  along  the  road.  With  one  or  two 
exceptions  it  is  a  misnomer,  though  it  well 
applies  to  the  desert  we  have  crossed. 
Most  of  the  surface  of  this  waste  is  sand, 
fine,  hard  and  ^rey,  mixed  with  marine 
shells  and  fossilized  fragments  of  another 
age.  There  is  no  evidence  on  which  to 
found  a  hope  that  this  portion  of  the 
country  could  be  rendered  subservient  to 
the  use  of  man,  consisting,  as  it  does,  of  beds 
of  sand  and  alkali,  overlaying  a  heavy 
gravel  deposit.  Ages  must  pass  away 
before  nature's  wondrous  changes  shall 
render  this  desert  fit  for  the  habitation  of 
man.  Continuing  on  up  the  ridge,  9.91 
miles,  we  pass 

Peq  aop— and  5.83  miles  further 

Otegjo  — l>oth  side-tracks  of  little  im- 
portance.  Then  we  commence  to  descend, 
and  5.6  miles  further  arrive  at 

Independence  —  Independence 
Springs,  from  which  this  station  derives  its 
name,  are  near  by,  and  supply  an  abun- 
dance of  very  good  cold  water. 

Independence,  Clover  and  Ruby  valleys, 


lie  to  the  southward.  The  two  first  named 
are  small  and  valueless  except  for  grazing 
purposes.  From  Cedar  Pass  a  spur,  or 
rather  a  low  range  of  hills,  extends  far  to 
the  southward.  About  70  or  80  miles  south 
of  the  pass,  is  the  South  Fork  of  the  Hum. 
boldt  which  canyons  through  this  range, 
running  to  the  east  and  north  of  another 
range  until  it  reaches  the  main  Humboldt. 
Although  the  range  first  mentioned,  after 
having  united  with  the  western  range  south 
of  the  South  Fork,  extends  much  farther 
south,  we  will  follow  it  only  to  Fort  Ruby, 
which  is  situated  in  the  south  end  of  Ruby 
Valley,  near  to  the  South  Fork.  From 
this  fort  to  the  pass  is  about  65  miles, 
which  may  be  taken  as  the  length  of  the 
valley.  The  average  width  is  ten  miles 
from  the  western  range  mentioned  to  the 
foothills  of  Ruby  Range,  which  hems  in 
the  valley  to  the  east.  A  large  portion  of 
this  valley  is  very  productive  ard  is  occu- 
pied by  settlers — mostly  discharged  sol- 
diers from  Fort  Ruby.  In  the  southeast- 
ern portion  of  the  valley  is  Ruby  and 
Franklin  lakes,  which  are  spoken  of  un- 
der the  general  term  of  Ruby  Lake,  for  in 
high  water  they  are  united,  forming  a 
brackish  sheet  of  water  about  15  miles 
long  by  seven  in  width,  which  has  no  out- 
let. It  is — like  Humboldt,  Carson  and  Pyr- 
amid lakes  in  the  Truckee  Desert— merely 
a  reservoir,  where  the  floods  accumulate  to 
evaporate  in  the  dry  summer.  The  old 
stage  road,  from  Salt  Lake  to  Austin, 
crosses  the  foot  of  the  valley  at  Ruby  sta- 
tion. About  20  miles  east  of  the  Ruby- 
Range  lies  Goshoot  Lake,  another  brackish 
pond,  with  two  small  tributaries  and  no 
outlet,  rather  wider  and  about  the  same 
length  as  Ruby  Lake.  About  half-way  be- 
tween Goshoot  and  the  railroad  lies  Snow 
Lake,  about  five  miles  in  diameter,  possess- 
ing the  same  general  characteristics  as  the 
others.  With  the  exception  of  the  valleys 
around  these  lakes  and  along  the  water- 
courses, the  country  is  valueless  except  for 
stock-raising.  In  the  Ruby  Range  rich 
silver  lodes  have  been  discovered,  some 
rock  of  which  has  been  found  to  assay  as 
high  as  $600  per  ton. 

Returning  to  Independer^e,  we  again 
proceed  westward— the  counxry  is  rolling 
and  broken— and  the  up-grade  continues 
6.1  miles  to 

Moore's— on  the  summit  of  Cedar 
Pass.  We  now  have  down-grade  for  311 
miles  t ")  the  Nevada  Desert. 

In  general  outline  this  pass  resembles  a 


AND   PACIFIC   COAST  GUIDE. 


125 


ratherrough,  broken  plateau, bent  up- 
ward in  the  middle,  forming  a  natural 
roadbed  from  the  desert  to  the  Hum- 
boldt Valley.  It  was  once  covered  with 
scrub  cedar,  which  was  cut  off  for  use 
by  tlae  railroad  company  and  others. 
Some  is  still  obtained  in  the  moun- 
tains to  the  north.  About  15  miles  to 
the  north  a  high,  craggy  peak  marks 
the  point  where  Thousand  Spring  Val- 
ley bends  to  the  south,  and  from  its 
divide  slopes  down  to  the  valley  of  the 
Humboldt.    Descending  2.65  miles  is 

Cedar—  a  small  side-track,  and  six 
miles  further  brings  our  train  to 

Wells— Here  are  located  the  usual 
round-house  and  machine  shops  of  a 
division.  The  station  is  1,250  miles 
from  Omaha  and  664  from  San  Fran- 
cisco ;  elevation,  5,628  feet.  Owing  to 
the  location  of  railroad  shops  at  this 
place  much  improvement  is  notice- 
able in  the  last  few  years.  The  chief 
points  of  interest  around  the  station 
are  the  celebrated. 

Humboldt  Wells  —  around  which 
the  emigrants,  in  early  times,  camped 
to  recruit  their  teams,  after  a  long, 
hard  journey  across  the  desert.  The 
wells  are  in  the  midst  of  a  beautiful 
meadow  or  valley,  which  slopes  away 
until  it  joins  the  Humboldt  or  main 
valley.  The  springs  or  wells— about  20 
in  number— are  scattered  over  this  lit- 
tle valley;  one  from  which  the  compa- 
ny obtain  their  supply  of  water  being 
within  200  yards  of  the  road,and  about 
that  distance  west  of  the  station.  A 
house  has  been  built  over  it,  and  the 
water  is  raised  into  the  tanks  by  an 
engine.  These  wells  would  hardly  be 
noticed  by  the  traveler  unless  his  at- 
tention was  called  to  them.  Nothing 
marks  their  presence  except  the  circle 
of  rank  grass  around  them.  When 
standing  on  the  bank  of  one  of  these 
curious  springs,you  look  on  a  still  sur- 
face of  water,  perhaps  6  or  7  feet  across 
and  nearly  round ;  no  current  disturbs 
it ;  it  resembles  a  well  more  than  a  na- 
tural spring,  and  you  look  to  see  the 
dirt  taken  from  it  when  dug.  The  wa- 
ter, which  is  slightly  brackish,  rises 
to  the  surface,  seeping  off  through  the 
loose,  sandy  loam  soil  of  the  valley. 
No  bottom  has  been  found  to  these 
wells,  and  they  have  been  sounded  to 
a  great  depth.  Undoubtedly  they  are 
the  craters  of  volcanoes  long  since  ex- 


tinct, but  which  at  one  time  threw  up 
this  vast  body  of  lava  of  which  the  soil 
of  Cedar  Pass  is  largely  composed. 
The  whole  face  of  the  country  bears 
evidence  of  the  mighty  change  which 
has  been  taking  place  for  centuries. 
Lava  in  hard,  rough  blocks ;  lava  de- 
composed and  powdered ;  huge  blocks 
of  granite  and  sandstone  in  the  foot- 
hills, broken,  shattered  and  thrown 
around  in  wild  confusion,  are  some  of 
the  signs  indicative  of  an  age  whcM 
desolation  reigned  supreme.  The  vaJ  - 
ley  in  which  the  wells  are  situated  is 
about  five  miles  long  by  three  wide, 
covered  with  a  luxuriant  growth  of 
grass.  The  low  hills  afford  an  er.- 
cellent  stock  "range."  The  transition 
from  the  parched  desert  and  barren, 
desolate  upland  to  these  green  and 
well- watered  valleys,  redolent  with 
the  aroma  of  the  countless  flowers 
which  deck  its  bosom,  seems  like  the 
work  of  magic. 

Bich  mineral  discoveries  have  been 
made  about  35  or  40  miles  southeast  of 
Wells — east  of  Clover  Valley — in  the 
Johnson  &  Latham  district.  The  veins 
are  reported  large,  well-defined,  and 
rich  in  silver,  copper  and  lead  ;  large 
deposits  of  iron  ore  have  also  been 
found.  The  district  is  well  supplied 
with  wood  and  water,  and  easy  of  ac- 
cess from  the  railroad.  A  stage  runs 
through  the  district,  extending  100 
miles  south  to  Shelburn,  near  the  old 
overland  stage  road,  in  the  Shellcreek 
mining  district.  A  stage  line  is  also  in 
operation  to  the  Bull  Bun  district. 

Stock-raising  occupies  the  atten- 
tion of  most  of  the  settlers  about  this 
section  and  to  the  northward. 

Leaving  the  Wells  we  proceed  down 
the  valley  for  a  few  miles,  when  we  en- 
ter the  main  valley  of  the  Humboldt, 
which  is  very  rich,  but  the  seasons  are 
too  short  for  agricultural  purposes. 
The  soil  is  a  deep  black  loam,  moist 
enough  for  all  purposes  without  irri- 
gation, from  one  to  two  feet  deep. 
This  portion  of  the  Humboldt  is  about 
80  miles  in  length,  averaging  10  miles 
in  width,  nearly  every  acre  being  of 
the  quality  described.  From  Osino 
Cailon  to  the  headwaters  of  the  valley 
is  occupied  by  settlers  who  have  taken 
up  hay  ranches  and  stock  ranges.  The 
river  abounds  in  fish  and  the  foot- 
hills with  deer  and  other  game. 


126 


crofutt's  new  overlaid  tourist 


The  Humboldt  River  rises  in  the 
Humboldt  Mountains,  northwest  of 
Cedar  Pass,  and  courses  westerly  for 
about250  miles,  when  it  bends  to  the 
south,  emptying  into  Humboldt  Lake, 
about  50  miles  from  the  Big  Bend.  It 
is  a  rapid  stream  for  most  of  the  dis- 
tauce,  possessing  few  fords  or  conve- 
nient places  for  crossing.  The  railroad 
follows  down  its  northern  bank  until 
it  reaches  Twelve-Mile  Canon,  about 
16  miles  west  of  Carlin,  where  it  cross- 
es to  the  south  side  of  the  river  and 
continues  about  170  miles,  when  it 
crosses  again  and  leaves  the  river, 
skirting  the  foot-hills  in  full  view  of 
the  river  and  lake.  The  main  stream 
has  many  varieties  of  fish,  and  at  cer- 
tain seasons  its  waters  are  a  great  re- 
sort for  wild  ducks  and  geese.  Where 
it  enters  the  lake  the  volume  of  water 
is  much  less  than  it  is  100  miles  above, 
owing  to  the  aridity  of  the  soil  through 
which  it  passes.  Of  the  valleys  bor- 
dering it  we  shall  speak  separately,  as 
each  division  is  totally  distinct  in  its 
general  features.  The  "old  emigrant 
road"  can  be  distinctly  traced  along 
the  river  from  its  head  to  its  source. 

From  Wells,  continuing  down  grade, 
it  is  7.5  miles  to 

Tnlasco — a  small  side-track,  five 
miles  from 

Bi<*hop's— This  is  another  unim- 
portant side-track,  where  Bishop's 
valley  unites  with  the  Humboldt.  This 
valley  is  70  miles  long,  average  width 
about  five  miles.  It  is  very  fertile,  be- 
ing watered  by  Bishop's  Creek,  which 
rises  in  the  HumboldtMountains, near 
HumboldtCafion,  about  70  miles  to  the 
northeast,  winding  through  the  valley. 

Deeth— is  passed  7.7  miles  from 
Bishop's,  and  12.9  miles  farther  to 

Halleck— Atthis  station  Govern- 
ment stores  are  left  for  Fort  Halleck,  a 
military  station  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  river.  At  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
tain—about 12  miles  from  the  station- 
can  be  seen  some  settlers*^  buildings, 


situated  on  the  road  to  the  post.  The 
military  post  is  hid  from  view  by  the 
intervening  hills.  It  is  situated  on  an 
elevated  plateau,  which  lies  partially 
behind  the  first  range,  debouching 
thence  in  a  long  upland,  which  ex- 
tends some  distance  down  the  river. 
The  valleys  along  the  hills  and  much 
of  the  upland,  are  settled,  and  for  veg- 
etables and  cerals  not  affected  by  the 
early  frost,  prove  very  productive.  A 
ready  market  is  found  along  the  rail- 
road. 

JPeko— is  an  unimportant  station, 
3.3  miles  west  of  Halleck.  Just  after 
leaving  the  station  we  cross  the  north 
fork  of  the  Humboldt  on  a  truss  bridge 
This  river,  where  it  unites  with  the 
main  stream,  is  of  equal  size.  It  rises 
about  100  miles  north,  and  receives  as 
tributaries  many  small  creeks  and  riv- 
ulets. The  valley  of  the  North  Fork 
is  from  five  to  seven  miles  wide  and 
covered  with.a  heavy  growth  of  grass, 
and,  like  the  main  valley,  is  not  sus- 
ceptible of  cultivation  to  any  great 
extent.  Some  kinds  of  vegetables 
yield  handsome  returns.  The  seasons 
are  long  enough,  and  the  absence  of 
early  and  late  frosts  insures  a  crop. 
Around  the  head  of  this  valley  are 
many  smaller  ones,  each  tributary 
stream  having  its  own  separate  body 
of  valley  land.  Some  are  perfect  gems, 
nestled  among  the  hills  and  almost 
surrounded  by  timber.  Here  game  in 
abundance  is  found— quail,  grouse, 
hare,  deer  and  bear,  and  sometimes  a 
"mountain  lion,"  and  the  tourist,  an- 
gler and  hunter  will  find  enough  to  oc- 
cupy them  pleasantly  should  tliey  visit 
this  region.  In  these  valleys  are  many 
thousand  acres  of  Government  land 
unclaimed,  excepting  that  portion 
owned  by  the  Railroad  Company. 

The  Humboldt  and  its  tributary  val- 
leys, as  a  range  for  stock,  have  no  su- 
perior west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 
The  winters  are  mild— snow  rarely  suf- 
ficiently deep  to  render  it  necessary  to 


Xo.Sa  Annex.    *•  Prickey,"tlie  llorneil 

Toad. — This  singular  little  member  of  the  lizard 
species  is  certainly  a  native  Californian.  It  is 
found  upon  nearly  every  dry  hill  or  gravelly  plain ; 
and  although  it  is  rare  in  some  districts,  in  others 
it  is  still  common.  There  are  several  varieties  and 
sizes  of  it,  and  all  perfectly  harmelss.  It  lives 
ehiefly  on  flies  and  small  insects.  A  California 
friend  of  ours  had  a  pair  of  these  picketed  in 
front  of  his  cabin  for  over  three  months ;  and, 
one  morning,  the  male  toad  wound  itself  around 
the  picket  pin  and  strangled  to  death,  and  the 


same  day  the  female  followed  his  example.  Upon 
apost  mortem  examination  of  the  femalo  15  eggs 
were  found,  about  the  size  and  shape  of  a  small 
wren's  egg.   *(See  illustration,  page  81.; 

The  Hammoth  i^now  Pl«w— owned  by 
the  Central  Pacific  Railroad,  rests  upon  two  four- 
wheel  trucks,  is  28  feet  long,  10  feet  6  inches 
wide,  13  feet  3  inches  high,  and  weighs  41,860 
pounds.  It  was  once  propelled  by  ten  locomo  ■ 
tives,  at  the  rate  of  60  miles  an  hour,  into  a  sno-vy 
drift  on  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains,  resulting 
in  a  big  hole  in  the  snow. 


CROFUTT'S    NEW    OVERLAND    TOURIST 


127 


feed  the  stock.  Wild  cattle  are  found  in 
the  valleys  and  among  the  hills,  which 
have  never  received  any  attention  or  care. 
Stock -raisers  are  turning  their  attention  of 
late  to  this  country  and  find  it  very  re- 
munerative. The  range  is  not  confined 
to  the  valley  alone,  the  foot-hills  and 
even  the  mountain  sides  produce  the 
bunch  grass  in  profusion.  AVherever 
sage-brush  grows  rank  on  the  hill- 
sides,bunchgrass  thrives  equally  well. 
'  Oisino — is  11.8  miles  down  the  valley 
from  Peko  —  a  signal  station  at  the 
I  head  of  Osino  Canyon,  where  the  val- 
ley suddenly  ends. 

At  this  point  the  northern  range  of 
mountains  sweeps  to  the  river  bank, 
I  which  new  a&sumes  a  tortuous  course — 
i  seeming  to  double  back  on  itself  in  places 
—  completely  bewildering  the  traveler. 
i  Across  the  river  the  high  peak  of  the 
I  opposite  chain  rise  clear  and  bold  from  the 
valley,  contrasting  strongly  with  the  black, 
broken  i  asses  of  shattered  m  untains 
nmong  which  we  are  winding  in  and  out, 
seemingly  in  an  endless  labyrinth.  Now 
we  wind  round  a  high  point,  the  rail 
lying  olose  to  the  river's  bank,  and  next 
we  cross  a  little  valley  with  the  water 
washing  against  the  opposite  blufls,  half  a 
mile  away.  A  dense  mass  -f  willow 
covers  the  bottom  lands  through  which  the 
river  wanders.  On  around  another  rocky 
point  and  we  are  in  a  wider  portion  of  the 
canyon,  with  an  occasional  strip  of  meadow 
land  in  view,  when  suddenly  we  emerge 
into  a  beautiful  valley,  across  which  we 
speed,  the  road  curving  around  to  the  right, 
?.nd  8.8  miles  from  the  last  station  we 
arrive  at 

Klko — The  county  seat  of  Elko  county; 
popu'aUon  about  1,200.  Elko  is  a  regular 
eating  station  for  all  trains  from  East 
and  West.  The  town  consisted  of  wood 
and  canvas  houses— which  latter  class 
is  rapidly  being  replaced  by  something 
more  substantial.  In  the  last  few  years 
the  town  has  improved  ma'terially. 
The  State  University,  which  cost  $30,- 
000,  is  located  here,  just  to  the  north- 
ward of  the  town.  At  this  station — and 
almost  every  one  to  the  westward — can  be 
seen  representatives  of  the  Shoshone  or 
Piute  Indians,  who  come  around  the  cars 
to  beg.  Any  person  who  wi^hes  to  tell  a 
big  "  whopper"  would  say,  they  are  clean, 
neatly  dressed, "  child-like  and  bland,"  and 
perfumed  with  the  choicest  attar  of  roses, 
but  an  old  plainsman  would  reverse  the 


saying  in  terms  more  expressive  than 
elegant. 

Near  the  town  some  Warm  Springs  are 
attracting  attention.  The  medicinal  quali- 
ties cf  the  water  are  highly  spoken  of.  A 
hr.-^k  lies  between  ^he  hotel  and  the 
springs,  making  regiilar  trips  for  the  ac- 
commodation of  visitors. 

The  rich  silver  mining  district  of  Cope 
is  about  80  miles  due  north  of  ijlko,  near 
the  head  waters  of  the  North  Fork  of  the 
Humboldt,  bordering  on  the  Owyhee  coun- 
try. Some  very  rich  mines  have  been  dis- 
covered and  several  quartz  mills  erected, 
ill  that  district,  but  the  more  recent  dis- 
coveries are  in  Tuscarora  district  about  50 
miles  north,  and  are  said  to  be  very  rich. 

Stages  leave  Elko  daily  for  Mountain 
City — north,  in  Cope  district — 80  miles  dis- 
tant, and  all  intermediate  towns  and  camps. 
Stages  also  run  to  Railroad  district — south 
25  miles,  and  to  Eureka  district,  100  miles; 
also  a  weekly  line  to  the  South  Fork  of  the 
Humboldt  and  Huntington  valleys.  Large 
quantities  ot  freight  arrive  at,  and  are 
re-shipped  from  this  station  on  wagons,  for 
the  various  mining  districts  to  the  north 
an  1  south. 

Another  important  business  that  has 
sprung  up  at  Elko,  within  the  last  few 
years,  is  cattle-raising.  Elko  county  con- 
tains more  cattle  than  any  other  two  coun- 
ties  in  the  State,  and  Elko  ships  more 
cattle  than  any  four  btations  on  the  road, 
being  amply  provided  with  all  the  facilities 
— ^roomy  yards,  shutes,  etc.,  for  a  busi- 
ness that  is  rapidly  increasing,  and  is-des- 
tined,  before  many  years,  to  far  exceed  ^1 
others  in  the  State. 

This  section  is  well  watered  by  rapid 
mountain  streams,  and  the  country  abounds 
in  game  of  all  kinds — a  hunter's  paradise. 
The  valley  of  the  Humboldt,  for  twenty 
miies  above  and  below  Elko,  cannot  be 
ranked  as  among  the  best  of  its  bottom-lands, 
though  it  is  susceptible  of  cultivation  to 
a  considerable  degree.  But  a  narrow  strip 
is  meadow,  the  remainder  being  higher, 
gravelly  land,  covered  with  sage-brush  and 
bunch-grass.  Without  irrigation  it  is  use- 
less for  agricultural  purposes. 

Passing  down  from  Elko — the  valley 
dotted  with  the  hamlets  of  the  rancher 
for  about  nine  miles— we  come  opposite 
the  South  Fork  of  the  Humboldt.  .^Tliis 
stream  rises  about  100  miles  to  the  south- 
east. It  canyons  through  Ruby  Mountaiii?, 
and  then  follows  down  the  eastern  side 
of  one  of  the   numerous   ranges,  which. 


V^8 


PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


n 


under  tlie  general  name  of  the  Humboldt 
Mountains,  intersect  the  country. 

For  portions  of  the  distance  there  is  fine 
valley  land  along  the  stream,  ranging  from 
one  to  seven  miles  wide,  adapted  to  early 
crops,  but,  as  a  body,  it  is  inferior  to  either 
the  Main  or  -North  Fork  valleys.  How- 
ever, the  land  is  all  admirably  adapted  for 
grazing  purposes. 

Moleen — is  a  signal  station,  11.8  miles 
west  of  Elko.  After  leaving  this  station 
the  valUy  presents  a  changed  appearance. 
The  meadow  lands  are  broad  and  green, 
extending  over  most  of  the  valley ;  on  the 
right  the  blufls  are  high  and  covered  with 
luxuriant  bunch-grass.  Soon  the  meadows 
are  almost  entirely  closed  out,  and  we  en- 
ter Five  Mile  Canyon.  Through  this  the 
river  runs  quite  rapidly ;  its  clear  waters 
sparkling  in  the  sunlight  as  they  speed 
along,  while  occasional  narrow  strips  of 
meadow  land  are  to  be  seen  at  times. 

The  scenery  along  this  canyon  is  hardly 
surpassed  by  the  bold  and  varied  panorama 
presented  to  our  view  along  the  base  of  the 
snow-capped  mountains  through  which  the 
river  and  railroad  have  forced  their  way. 
Soon  after  entering  the  canyon  we  pass 
several  isolated  towers  of  conglomerate 
rock,  towering  to  the  height  of  nearly  200 
feet.  Leaving  this  canyon,  we  find  Susan 
Valley,  another  strip  of  good  bottom 
land,  about  twenty  miles  long,  by  four 
wide,  bordering  the  East  Fork  of  Maggie's 
Creek.  Among  the  foot-hills  of  Owyhee 
Kange,  to  the  northward,  are  many  beauti- 
ful, little  valleys,  well  watered  by  moun- 
tafn  streams,  waiting  only  the  advent  of 
the  settler  to  transform  them  into  pleas- 
ant homes.  Timber  is  pleanty  in  the  ra- 
vines and  on  the  hill-sides— suflScient  for 
the  wants  of  a  large  population.  Passing 
on  to  near  the  next  station,  we  cross  Mag- 
gie's Creek,  which  empties  into  the  Hum- 
boldt from  the  north.  This  stream  is 
named  for  a  beautiful  Scotch  girl,  who, 
with  her  parents,  stayed  here  for  a  time  "re- 
cruiting their  stock "  in  the  old  times 
when  the  early  emigrants  toiled  along  the 
river.  It  rises  in  the  Owyhee  Mountains, 
about  80  miles  to  the  nortliward. 

The  valley  through  which  the  stream 
flows  is  from  three  to  five  miles  wide  and 
ve^  rich.  It  extends  to  the  base  of  the 
moVjtains,  about  70  miles,  and  is  now 
moatiy  occupied  by  stockmen.  The 
stream  affords  excellent  trout  fishing,  and 
game  of  various  kinds  abounds  on  the  hills 
bordering  the  valley.      Some  time  since. 


a  wagon  road  was  surveyed  and  located  uj 
this  valley  to  Idaho  Territory. 
From  Moleen,  it  is  11.6  miles  to 
Carlin — This  is  quite  a  busy  station,* 
of  about  600  population.  Here  are  located 
the  offices  of  Humboldt  Division,  and 
the  division  workshops.  The  latter  are  of 
wood  and  consist  of  a  round-house  of  16 
stalls,  a  machine,  car  and  blacksmith  shop. 
The  railroad  was  completed  to  this  place 
Dec.  20,  1868. 

To  the  south  of  Carlin,  from  15  to  60 
miles,  are  located  mil  es  rich  in  gold,  sil- 
ver, copper  and  iron.  To  the  northward, 
rich  discoveries  have  been  made,  extend- 
ing to  the  Owyhee  com  ,try.  In  both  these 
sections  new  mining  districts  have  been 
located,  and  the  attention  of  experienced 
capitalists  is  being  attracted  thereto. 

Mary's  Creek — rises  three  miles  north 
and  enters  the  Humboldt  at  Cariin.  It 
rises  in  a  beautiful  lakelet  nestled  among 
the  hills  and  bordered  by  a  narrow  slip  of 
fine  valley  land.  The  valley  of  the  stream, 
and  that  portion  surroundiog  its  head 
waters,  is  occupied  by  settlers. 

Proceeding  down  the  river  from  Carlin, 
for  some  distance  the  green  meadows  con- 
tinue fair  and  wide ;  then  the  sloping  hills 
give  place  lO  loftv  mountains,  which  close 
in  on  either  hand,  shutting  out  the  valley. 
From  the  appearance  of  this  mountain 
range  one  would  suppose  that  it  had  ex- 
tended across  the  valley  at  one  time,  form- 
ing a  vast  lake  of  the  waters  of  the  river, 
then  some  mighty  convulsion  of  nature 
rent  the  solid  wall  asunder,  forming  a  pas- 
sage for  the  waters  which  wash  the  base  of 
the  cliffs,  which  are  from  500  to  1,000  feet 
high.  This  place  is  generally  known  as 
The  Palisades  — Humboldt  or 
Twelve  Mile  Canyon,  although  it  does  not 
possess  points  of  interest  with  Echo  or 
Weber  canyons,  in  many  particulars 
the  scenery  is  equally  grand.  The  ab- 
sence of  varied  colors  may  urge  against 
its  claims  to  equal  with  those  places, 
but,  on  the  other  hand,  its  bleak,  bare, 
brown  walls  have  a  majestic,  gloomy 
grandeur,  which  coloring  could  not 
improve.  In  passing  down  this  canyon,  we 
seem  to  pass  between  two  walls  which 
threaten  to  close  together  ere  we  shall  gain 
the  outlet.  The  river  rolls  at  our  feet  a  rapid, 
boiling  current,  tossed  from  side  to  side  of 
the  gorge  by  the  rocks,  wasting  its  fury  in 
vain  attempts  to  break  away  its  prison 
walls.  The  walls  in  places  have  crum- 
bled, and  large  masses  of  crushed  rocks 


crofutt's  new  overland  tourist 


129 


slope  down  to  the  river  brink.  Seams  of 
Iron  ore  and  copper-bearing  rock  break 
tlie  monotony  of  color,  showing  the  exist- 
ence of  large  deposits  of  these  materials 
among  these  brown  old  mount,  ins.  Now 
we  pass  "Red  Cliff,"  wi.ich  rears  its  bat- 
tered frontlet  800  feet  above  the  water.  A 
colony  of  swallows  have  taken  possession 
of  the  rock,  and  built  their  curious  nests 
upon  its  face.  From  out  their  mud  pal- 
aces they  look  down  upon  us,  no  doubt 
wondering  about  the  great  monster  rushing 
past,  and  alter  he  has  disappeared,  gossip- 
ing among  themselves  of  the  good  old 
times  when  his  presence  was  unknown  in 
the  canyon.  Now  we  pass  "Maggie's 
Bower,"  a  brown  arch  on  the  face  of  the 
cliff,  about  500  feet  from  its  base.  We 
could  not  see  much  bower  -  unless  it  was 
the  left  bower,  for  we  left  it  behind  us. 

Twisting  in  and  around  these  projecting 
cliffs,  9.1  miles  from  Carlin,  we  reach 

Palisade — a  station,  in  the  midst  of 
the  Palisades,  and  apparently  locked  in  on 
all  sides.  This  is  a  busy  place  for  a  small 
one  of  only  200  population,  as  it  is  the 
junction  of  the  Eureka  &  Palisade  rail- 
road, where  are  located  their  machine  and 
workshops.  Most  of  the  box  and  flat  cars 
of  this  company  are  made  here  in  tJieir 
own  shops.  The  amount  of  freight  han- 
dled at  this  station  is  enormous.  Passen- 
gers can,  almost  always,  see  large  piles  of 
base  bullion  pigs  piled  up  at  the  freight 
house,  awaiting  shipment.  This  bullion  is 
mostly  freighted  here  from  the  smelting 
furnaces  at  Eureka,  by  the  Eureka  and 
Palisade  railroad,  which  alone  handled 
over  3r),ooo.()0()  pounds  annually. 

One  great  item  of  freight  taken  aown 
over  this  road — the  E.  &.  P. — is  timber 
from  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains,  for  use 
in  timbering  up  the  mines  at  Eureka. 

Palisade,  beside  the  machine  shops 
above  named,  has  several  large  build- 
ings, used  by  the  Railroad  Company,  for 
freights  and  storage  and  one  a  fine,  com- 
modious passenger  station;  these  with 
several  stores,  hotels,  restaurants  and 
saloons  make  up  the  town. 

The  station  is  supplied  with  water  from 
a  huge  tank,  situated  upon  the  mountain 
side,  to  the  north,  300  feet  above  the  sta- 
tion. This  tank  in  turn  is  supplied  from 
•springs  situated  further  up  the  mountain, 
that  never  fail  in  their  supply. 

Now,  as  we  started  out  to  see  what  was 
worth  seeing,  let  us  take  a  run  down  over 


the  road  that  comes  in  here  and  note  what 
can  be  seen. 


£areka  &.  Palisade  Railroad. 

Principal  Office,  Eureka,  Nevada. 

E.  Mills, President, ^  .Eureka. 

P.  Everts Gen' I  Sup' t Eureka. 

J.  li.  F1.8T GenHF.  P.  &  T.Agt... Palisade. 

This  road  is  a  three-foot  narrow  gauge,, 
commenced  in  December,  1873,  and  com- 
pleted to  Eureka  in  October,  1874,  and  is- 
90  miles  in  length.  Passenger  trains  leave 
for  the  South  on  arrival  of  trait, s  on  the 
Central,  and  arrive  in  time  to  connect  for 
either  the  East  or  West.  The  trains  make 
full  30  miles  an  hour,  and  the  cars  are  as 
commodious  and  nice  as  on  any  road  in 
this  country. 

Leaving  Palisade  we  cross  the  Humboldt 
River  and  start  for  the  West,  the  C.  P.  on 
the  north  side  of  the  river  and  our  little 
train  on  the  south  side.  But  a  few  hun- 
dred yards  from  the  station  we  curve 
around  to  the  left,  while  the  C.  P.  makes  a 
similar  one  to  the  right  and  is  soon  lost  to> 
view.  The  general  course  of  our  train  is^ 
south,  following  up  Pine  Valley,  which  is,, 
for  the  first  ten  miles,  covered  with  sage- 
brush—as is  also  the  surrounding  hills. 

Bullion — is  the  first  station  on  the  bills,, 
eight  miles  from  Palisade,  but  we  pass  it,, 
and  the  valley  widens  and  4.25  miles  fur- 
ther  is  over  one  mile  in  width.  Now  our 
train  is  at 

Evans— a  simple  side-track,  important 
only  to  a  few  settlers  near,  who  are  culti- 
vating small  fields  and  watching  herds  of 
cattle  and  sheep,  which  find  good  ranges  on 
the  hills,  ravines,  and  neighboring  valleys. 
Some  fields  are  fenced,  for  the  protection 
of  the  grass,  which  is  cut  for  hay.  The 
Cortez  Mountains  are  on  the  west — the 
right  side— and  the  Diamond  range  on  the 
left. 

Willakd's — is  15  miles  from  Palisade, 
and  four  miles  from 

Hay  Ranch — This  station  is  the  first 
from  Palisade  where  anything  like  busi- 
ness is  to  be  seen.  Here  the  Railroad  Com- 
pany have  2,500  acres  of  bottom  land 
fenced,  on  which  they  cut  annually  about 
1,000  tons  of  hay,  which  they  bale  and 
store  away  in  those  long  warehouses  to  be 
seen  on  the  right  of  the  road.  The  com- 
pany run  freight  teams  from  the  end  of 
their  road  at  Eureka,  and— in  connection 
with  it — to  Pioche  and  all  intermediate 
places.  These  teams  are  composed  of  18 
mules  each,  with  three  and  sometimes  four 


130 


PACIFIC    COAST   GUIDE. 


AMERICAN   RIVER    CANYON. 

Near  Shady  Rua,  Sic  ra  Nevada  Mounlain-. 


wagons  coupled  together— as  illustrated  on 
page  28  — employing  from  300  to  400  mules, 
each  team  hauling  from  30,000  to  40,000 
lbs.  In  winter,  when  their  mules  are  not 
in  use,  they  are  kept  at  this  station,  and 
the  hay  is  harvested  by  the  company  and 
used  for  their  own  stock. 

Continuing  on  up  the  valley  9,31  miles, 
we  come  to 

Box  Springs — but  trains  do  not  stop 
only  on  signal,  and  nine  miles  further 
stop  at 

Mineral — This  is  a  regular  eating  sta- 
tion, and  in  fact  is  the  only  one  on  the  road. 
The  meals  cost  $1.00,  and  are  of  the  sub- 
stantial order,  that  makes  bone  and  sinew. 

To  the  east  is  located  the  Mineral  Hill 
Mine,  once  the  most  productive  in  the 
State,  but  it  proved  to  be  a  "  pocket "  and 
the  original  owners,  after  taking  out  sev- 
eral millions  of  dollars,  sold  their  mine  to 
an  English  company — who,  until  within 
the  last  year,  have  allowed  it  to  remain 


idle.  It  is  now  being  worked  with  good 
prospects. 

From  Mineral,  it  is  5.5  miles  to 

Deep  Wells — so  named  for  a  deep  well 
that  was  dug  near  by,  to  procure  water  for 
the  freight  teams  that  were  in  the  habit  of 
traveling  this  road.  The  enterprising  "Pil- 
grim" who  dug  the  well  was  wont  to  charge 
$1.00  for  sufficient  water  to  water  an  18 
mule  team,  or  "  four  skins  full  for  a  quar- 
ter." 

From  Deep  Wells  the  route  is  over  a 
sage-brush  country,  rough  and  bluffy,  for 
seven  miles,  to 

Alpha— a  small  station,  near  where 
kilns  of  charcoal  are  burned  for  use  at  the 
smelting  furnaces.  To  the  west  of  this 
station  is  a  broad  valley,  over  which  range 
large  herds  of  cattle.  Willow  Creek,  a 
small  stream,  is  crossed,  and  ten  miles  from 
Alpha  is 

Pine  Station  —  another  place  where 
charcoal  burning  is  the  principal  busi- 


FALLS  OF  THE  WILLAMETTE  R: 


|i:R,  OREGON.    (See  Annex  No.  37.) 


(9.) 


CROFUTT  S    NEW    OVERLAND    TOURIST 


131 


ness.  Cedar  trees  are  notiLcable  along  on 
the  bluffs  as  we  pass  by ;  sage  is  abund- 
ant, and  jack-rabbits  are  numerous  and 
very  large — they  call  them  "  narrow-gauge 
mules  "  in  this  country. 

Cedar — is  the  next  station,  three  ana-a- 
half  miles  from  Pine.  The  country  is 
rough  and  broken,  and  sage  predominates ; 
the  grade  is  heavy  and  the  road  crooked — 
twisting  and  turning  for  7.5  miles  to 

Summit — a  station  on  the  dividing  ridge 
between  Pine  Valley  on  the  west  and  Dia- 
mond Valley  on  the  east.  The  face  of  the 
country  is  not  very  inviting,  except  for 
those  "  narrow-gauge  mules."  Near  the 
summit  the  old  overland  stage  road  crosses 
from  Jacob's  "Wells  on  the  east  to  Austin 
on  the  west. 

From  the  summit  the  road  enters  Dia- 
mond Valley,  and  follows  it  up  to  Eureka, 
the  road  making,  between  Summit  and 

Gardner  Pass — six  miles  from  Summit 
— a  great  horse-shoe  curve,  and  fairly 
doubling  back  upon  itself  to  get  around 
the  projecting  spurs  that  shoot  out  from 
the  range  of  high  bluffs  on  each  side. 

Contintting  along  up  the  narrow  valley 
nine  miles,  we  reach 

D I A  M  o  N  D — an  unimportant  statio  t  , 
and  another  run  of  twelve  miles  brings  our 
train  to  the  end  of  the  road  at 

£areka — This  city  is  90  miles  south 
of  Palisade,  and  contains,  with  the  near 
surroundings,  a  population  of  6,000,  nearly 
all  of  whom  are  engaged  in  mining  and  de- 
pendent pursuits.  Besides  the  usual  num- 
ber of  s'ores,  hotels  and  small  shops,  there 
are  two  30-stamp  mills,  seven  smelting 
works  and  16  furnaces,  with  a  capacity  of 
50  tons  of  ore  each,  daily.  These  extensive 
establishments,  running  night  and  day, 
make  business  pretty  lively,  and  will  ac- 
count for  the  quantities  of  base  bullion 
hauled  over  the  railroad  to  Palisade,  as 
above  noticed.  Of  the  hotels,  the  Jackson 
and  the  Parker  are  the  principal  ones. 
There  are  two  daily  papers,  the  Sentinel 
and  the  Republican. 

The  Ruby  Hill  railroad,  really  an  ex- 
tention  of  the  Eureka  &  Palisade,  runs 
from  the  depot  at  Eureka  around  the  various 
smelting  and  refining  works  and  mines  of 
the  different  mining  companies,  and  around 
Eureka,  delivering  freight  and  handling 
ores.  This  road  is  about  six  miles  in 
length.  The  most  prominent  mines  at 
Eureka  are  Eureka  Consolidated,  Rich- 
mond Consolidated,  the  K.  K.,  the  Jack- 
son,  Hamburg,  Matamoras  and  Atlas. 

9 


Stages  connect  at  Eureka,  carrying  pas- 
sengers, mails  and  express  to  the  various 
mining  towns  and  camps  in  the. adjoining 
country;  to  Hamilton,  40  miles,  daily, 
which  runs  throughlhe  "Ward  and  Pioche ; 
districts  to  "Ward,  100  miles ;  Pioche,  190 
miles ;  to Tybo,  100  miles ;  Austin,  80  miles ; 
tri-weekly  stage  to  Belmont,  100  miles. 

The  freighting  business  to  Pioche  and 
all  intermediate  towns  and  camps  is  very 
extensive,  most  of  which  is  hauled  by  the 
Railroad  Company's  teams,  as  previously 
stated. 

The  White  Pine  Country,  is  sit- 
uated to  ihe  southeast  from  Eureka,  the 
principal  city  of  which  is  , 

Hamilton — This  city  contains  a  pop- 
ulation of  about  800,  all  of  whom  are  en- 
gaged in  the  mining  business.  Milling 
and  smelting  are  the  only  occupations,  there 
being  two  smelters  and  six  mills.  An 
English  company  is  now  engaged  running 
a  tunnel  under  Treasure  Hill,  to  strike  the 
great  mineral  deposit  known  to  be  there. 
This  tunnel,  when  completed,  will  be  6,000 
feet  long— 7x9  feet,  double  track,  "  T  "  rail 
— and  will  tap  the  mines  at  a  depth  of 
1 600  feet.  It  is  now  completed  about 
3.000  feet.  Hamilton  had  one  weekly 
newspaper— the  News. 

White  Pine — is  nearly  due  east  of  Vir- 
ginia Ciiy,  where  the  first  silvei  mining  ex- 
citement occurred  on  the  Pacific  slope,  and 
by  many  is  supposed  to  be  on  the  same 
range  which  produced  the  Comstock  and 
other  famous  lodes.  Possibly  such  is  the 
case,  though  "  ranges  "  have  been  terribly 
shaken  about  in  this  section  of  our  country. 

The  Eberhardt  mine,  which  first  attracted 
attention  to  this  locality,  was  discovered  in 
1866,  but  the  great  stampede  of  miners  and 
speculators  to  that  quarter  did  not  take 
place  until  the  winter  and  spring  of  1869. 
As  far  as  prospected,  the  veins,  in  a  ma- 
jority of  cases,  are  not  regular,  being  broken 
and  turned  in  every  direction.  Some  are 
flat,  others  dip  at  a' regular  angle  and  have 
solid  walls.  The  Base  Metal  Range  in 
this  vicinity  is  very  extensive,  and  a  num- 
ber of  furnaces  have  been  erected  to  reduce 
the  ores  into  base  bullion  for  shipment. 
For  items  of  interest  see  Annex  No.  30. 

We  will  now  return  to  Palisade,  and  re- 
sume our  place  in  the  C.  P.  cars.  Passing 
down  the  canyon,  winding  and  twisting 
along  around  a  succession  of  projecting 
spurs,  we  pass  the  "  Devil's  Peak,"  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  river,  a  perpendicular 
rock,  probably  500  feet  high,  rising  from 


132 


PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


the  water's  edge.  On,  past  the  towering 
bluffs  and  castellated  rocks— which,  at  first 
view,  look  like  some  old  brown  castle,  for- 
saken by  its  founders  and  left  to  ruin,  deso- 
lation  and  decay— we  cross  the  river  on  a 
fine  Howe  truss  bridge ;  and  from  this  point 
we  shall  keep  on  the  southern  side  of  the 
stream  until  we  near  Humboldt  Lake, 
when  we  cross  it  again,  and  for  the  last 
time. 

Cloro— is  a  flag  station,  10.4  miles 
west  of  Palisade,  reached  just  after  emerg- 
ing  from  the  canyon.  We  now  enter  a 
more  open  country,  with  strips  of  meadow 
along  the  river's  brink.  Near  this  point 
is  where  the  powder  magazine  of  the  rail- 
road company  exploded  in  lb68,  while  the 
road  was  building  through  the  canyon. 

North  of  the  river,  at  the  point  on  the 
opposite  side,  can  be  seen  a  peculiar  for- 
mation, not  seen  elsewhere  in  the  canyon. 
Where  the  road  is  cut  through  these  pomts, 
they  consist  of  gravel,  sand  and  cement, 
having  all  the  appearance  of  gold-bearing 
gravel-beds.  It  is  an  unmistakable  water- 
wash,  and  not  caused  by  volcanic  wear — 
fine  layers  of  sand,  from  one  to  five  feet 
thick,  and  interspersed  through  the  gravel, 
showing  where  the  water  rested  and  the 
sediment  settled. 

Gravelly  FoRD—one  of  the  most  no- 
ted  points  on  the  Humboldt  ;^iver  in  early 
days,  is  near  Cluro.  Then  the  canyon 
through  which  we  have  just  passed  was 
impassable.  The  long  lines  of  emigrant 
wagons  could  not  pass  through  the  mightj 
chasm,  but  were  obliged  to  turn  and  toil 
over  the  mountains  until  they  could  de- 
scend into  the  valley  again.  Coming  to 
this  point  on  the  south  side  of  the  river, 
they  crossed  and  followed  up  a  slope  of  the 
opposite  hills,  thence  along  the  table-land, 
and  from  thence  to  the  valley  above.  A 
few  would  leave  the  river  lower  down  and 
bear  away  to  the  south,  but  the  it>ad  was 
long  and  rough  before  they  reached  the 
Talley  above  the  canyon.  There  were  and 
now  are  other  fords  on  the  river,  lower 
down,  but  none  were  as  safe  as  this.  With 
sloping  gravelly  banks  and  a  hard  gravel 
bottom,  It  offered  superior  advantages  to 
the  emigrant.  Hence  it  became  a  noted 
place — the  point  to  which  the  westward- 
bound  emigrants  looked  forward  with  great 
interest.  Here  was  excellent  grazing  for 
their  travel-worn  teams.  O  wing  to  these  con- 
Biderations,  lar^e  bodies  of  emigrants  were 
often  encampea  here  for  weeks.  At  times 
the   river  would  be  too  high,  and  they 


would  wait  for  the  torrent  to  subside.  The 
Indians — Shoshones — knew  this  also,  and 
many  a  skirmish  took  place  between  them 
and  their  white  brothers,  caused  by  mistaken 
ideas  regarding  the  ownership  of  the  emi- 
grant's stock. 

Connected  with  this  place  is  an  incident 
which,  for  the  honor  of  the  men  who  per- 
formed  the  Christian  act,  we  will  relate : 

In  the  early  times  spoken  of,  a  pai'ty  of 
emigrants  were  encamped  here,  waiting  for 
the  water  to  subside.  Among  these  emi- 
grants were  many  women  and  children. 
While  here,  an  estimable  young  lady  of  18 
years  fell  sick,  and  despite  the  watchful 
care  and  loviug  tenderness  of  friends  and 
kindred,  her  pure  spirit  floated  into  that 
unknown  mist,  dividing  the  real  from  the 
ideal,  the  mortal  from  the  immortal.  Her 
friends  reared  an  humble  head-board  to  her 
memory,  and,  in  course  of  time- amid 
the  new  life  opening  to  them  on  the  Pacific 
slope — the  young  girl's  fate  and  ^rave  were 
alike  forgotten  by  all  but  her  immediate 
relatives.  When  the  advance  guard  of  the 
Central  railroad — the  graders  and  culvert 
men— came  to  Gravelly  Ford,  they  found 
the  lone  grave  and  fast-decaying  head- 
board. The  site  awoke  the  finer  feelings 
of  their  nature  and  aroused  their  sympa- 
thies,  for  they  were  men^  these  brown,  toil- 
stained  laborers. 

The  "  culvert  men  "  (masons)  concluded 
that  it  was  not  consistent  with  Christian 
usage  to  leave  a  grave  exposed  and  unde- 
fended from  the  incursion  of  beasts  of  pre^jr. 
With  such  men,  to  think  was  to  act,  andm 
a  few  days  the  lone  grave  was  enclosed 
with  a  solid  wall,  and  a  cross— the  sacred 
emblem  of  immortality — took  the  place  of 
the  old  head-board.  In  the  day  when  the 
final  reckoning  between  these  men  and  the 
recording  angel  is  adjusted,  we  think  they 
will  find  a  credit  for  that  deed  which  will 
offset  many  little  debits  in  the  ledger  of 
good  and  ^\\\.  Perhaps  a  fair  spirit  above 
may  smile  a  blessing  on  their  lives  in  rec- 
ompense of  the  noble  deed.  The  grave  is 
on  the  south  side  of  the  road,  upon  a  low 
bluff,  about  five  miles  west  of  Cluro.  In 
October,  1871,  the  Superintendent  of  the 
Division  erected  over  it  a  fine  large  cross. 

"  CoBRAL,"  (Spanish)  a  pen  made  of  poats  set 
on  end  in  the  ground  close  together,  and  fastened 
with  rawhide  thongs,  or  by  wagons  drawn  in  a 
circle  forming  an  inclosnre. 

Telegraph  Opebatobs  are  called  "  lightning 
Bhovers." 

Otjtpit— Necessary  supplies  for  a  jonrnej. 


ceoftjtt's  new  overland  tourist 


133 


Upon  one  side  is  inscribed  "The  Mai- 
den's Grave,"  on  the  other,  her  name, 
"  Lucinda  Duncan." 


Passing  on,  we  cross  narrow  patches  of 
meadow  land,  and  wind  around  the  base 
of  low  hills  until  we  reach  a  broad  valley. 
Across  the  river  to  the  northward  can  be 
seen  the  long,  unbroken  slopes  which 
stretch  away  until  they  are  lost  in  that  cold 
blue  line — the  Idaho  Mountains — which 
rises  against  the  northern  sky.  Behind  that 
gray  old  peak,  which  is  barely  discernible, 
the  head  waters  of  the  North  Fork  of  the 
Humboldt  break  away  when  starting  on 
their  journey  for  the  main  river.  Farther 
to  the  left,  and  nearer,  from  among  that 
darker  clump  of  hills  Maggie's  Creek 
finds  its  source. 

Be-o-iw^a-we — is  reached  at  a  narrow 
point  called  Copper  Canyon,  8.7  miles 
from  Cluro. 

The  Cortez  mines  and  milis  are  situated 
about  35  miles  south  of  this  station,  with 
which  they  are  connected  by  a  good  road. 
At  this  point  the  Red  Range  throws  a  spur 
nearly  across  the  valley,  cutting  it  in  two. 
It  looks  as  though  the  spur  extended  clear 
across,  at  one  time,  damming  up  the  waters 
of  the  river,  as  at  the  Palisades.  The 
water-wash  far  up  the  hillside  is  in  evi- 
dence of  the  theory  that  such  was  once  the 
case,  and  that  the  waters  cut  this  narrow 
gorge,  through  which  they  speed  along 
unmindful  of  the  mighty  work  done  in  for- 
mer years,  when  the  resistless  current 
*'  forced  a  highway  to  the  sea,"  and  drained 


a  mighty  lake,  leaving  in  its  place  green 
meadows. 

Here,  on  this  red  ridge,  is  the  dividing 
line  between  the  Shoshones  and  the  Piutea, 
two  tribes  of  Indians  who  seemed  to  ba 
created  for  the  express  purpose  of  woiTy- 
ing  emigrants,  stealing  stock,  eating  grass, 
hoppers,  and  preying  on  themselves  and 
everybody  else.  The  Shoshones  are  very 
degraded  Indians,  and  until  recently,  were 
like  the  Ishmaelites  or  Pariahs  of  old — 
their  hand  was  against  every  man,  and 
every  man's  hand  was  compelled,  in  self- 
defense,  to  be  against  them  until  they  be- 
came almost  unable  to  commit  depreda* 
tions,  and  could  make  more  by  begging 
than  they  could  by  stealing.  The  term  Be-o- 
wa-we  signifies  gate,  and  it  is  literal  in  its 
significance. 

After  leaving  Be-o-wa-we,  we  pass 
through  the  gate,  and  wind  along  by  the 
hillside,  over  the  low  meadows,  which  here 
are  very  narrow.  The  "  bottom  "  is  broad^ 
but  is  covered  with  willows,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  narrow  meadows  spoken  of. 
Amid  these  willows  the  stream  winds  and 
twists  about  through  innumerable  sloughs 
and  creeks,  as  though  undecided  whether 
to  leave  this  shady  retreat  for  the  barren 
plains  below.  Perhaps  the  traveler  will 
see  a  flock  of,  pelicans  disporting  in  the 
waters  on  their  return  from  their  daily 
fishing  excursion  to  Humboldt  Lake. 
These  birds,  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year,  are 
to  be  found  here  and  there  along  the  river 
for  about  20  miles  below,  in  great  numbers. 
They  build  their  nests  in  these  willow 
islands  and  rear  their  young  undisturbed, 
for  even  an  Indian  cannot  penetrate  this 
swampy,  treacherous  fastness.  Every 
morning  the  old  birds  can  be  seen  taking 
their  flight  to  Humboldt  Lake,  where,  in 
its  shallow  waters,  they  load  themselves 
with  fish,  returning  towards  night  to  feed 
their  young  and  ramble  about  the  bottom. 

Soon  after  leaving  the  station,  Hot 
Spring  Valley  comes  in  on  the  left — south 
—and  by  looking  away  to  the  south  eight 
miles,  can  be  seen  columns  of  steam,  from 
one  of  the  many  "hot  springs"  which 
abound  in  the  "  Great  Basin." 

If  you  do  not  behold  the  steam— for  the 
springs  are  not  always  in  active  operation 
— you  will  behold  a  long,  yellowish,  red 
line,  stretching  for  a  full  half-mile  around 
a  barren  hill-side.  From  this  line  boiling, 
muddy  water  and  sulphuric  wash  descends 
the  hillside,  desolating  everything  in  its 


134 


PACIFIC   COAST   GUIDE. 


course,  its  waters  escaping  through   the 
bogs  of  the  valley. 

Sometimes  for  hours  these  springs  are 
inactive,  then  come  little  puffs  of  steam, 
then  long  and  frequent  jets,  which  often 
shoot  30  feet  high.  The  waters  are  very- 
tot.  Woe  to  the  unlucky  hombre  who 
gets  near  and  to  the  windward  of  one  of 
these  springs,  when  it  sends  forth  a  col- 
umn of  spray,  steam  and  muddy  sulphur 
water  from  20  to  30  feet  in  height.  He  will 
need  a  change  of  clothes,  some  simple 
cerate,  a  few  days'  rest,  and  the  prayers  of 
his  friends — as  well  as  of  the  congregation. 
There  are  over  100  of  these  spurting,  bub- 
"bling,  sulphuric  curiosities  around  the 
hills  in  this  vicinity.  The  general  charac- 
ter of  all  are  about  the  same. 

There  are  a  great  many  theories  regard- 
ing these  springs — what  causes  the  heat, 
etc.  Some  contend  that  the  water  escapes 
from  the  regions  of  eternal  fires,  which  are 
supposed  to  be  ever  burning  in  the  center 
of  the  globe.  Others  assert  that  it  is  min- 
eral in  solution  with  the  water  which 
causes  the  heat.  Again,  irreverent  persons 
suggest  that  this  part  of  the  country  is  but 
the  roof  of  a  peculiar  place  to  which  they 
may  well  fear  their  wicked  deeds  may 
doom  them  in  the  future. 

IShoshone— is  ten  miles  west  of  Be- 
o-wa-we ;  elevation  4,636  feet.  Across  the 
river  to  the  right  is  Battle  Mountain, 
which  rises  up  clear  and  sharp  from  the 
river's  brink.  It  seems  near,  but  between 
us  and  its  southern  base  is  a  wide  bottom 
land  and  the  river,  which  here  really 
"  spreads  itself."  We  saw  the  same  point 
when  emerging  from  Be-o-wa-we.  or  "  the 
gate,"  and  it  will  continue  in  sight  for 
many  miles. 

This  mountain  derives  its  name  from  an 
Indian  fight,  the  particulars  of  which  will 
be  related  hereafter.  There  are  several 
ranges  near  by,  all  bearing  the  same  gene- 
ral name.  This  range  being  the  most 
prominent,  desenres  a  passing  notice.  It 
lies  north  of  the  river,  between  the  Owyhee 
Range  on  the  north  and  the  Reese  River 
Mountains  on  the  south.  Its  base  is 
washed  by  the  river  its  entire  length — 
from  50  to  75  miles.  It  presents  an  al- 
most unbroken  surface  and  even  altitude 
the  entire  distance.  In  places  it  rises  in 
bold  bluffs,  in  others  it  slopes  away  from 
base  to  summit,  but  in  each  case  the  same 
altUude  is  reached.  It  is  about  1,500  feet 
high,  the  top  or  summit  appearing  to  be 
table-land.     Silver  and  copper  mines  have 


been  prospected  with  good  results. 

Behind  this  range  are  wide  valleys, 
which  slope  away  to  the  river  at  either 
end  of  the  range,  leaving  it  comparatively 
isolated. 

Opposite  to  Shoshone,  Rock  Creek  emp- 
ties its  waters  into  the  Humboldt.  It  rises 
about  40  miles  to  the  northward,  and  is 
bordered  by  a  beautiful  valley  about  four 
miles  wide.  The  stream  is  well  stocked 
with  fish,  among  which  are  the  mountain 
trout.  In  the  country  around  the  head- 
waters of  the  stream  is  found  plenty  of 
game  of  various  kinds,  including  deer  and 
bear. 

Copper  mines  of  vast  size  and  great  rich- 
ness are  found  in  the  valley  of  Rock  Creek, 
and  among  the  adjoining  hills.  Whenever 
the  copper  interest  beconxeaof  sufficient 
importance  to  warrant  the  opening  of  these 
mines,  this  section  will  prove  one  of  great 
importance. 

Leaving  Shoshone,  we  pursue  our  way 
down  the  river,  the  road  leading  back  from 
the  meadow  land  and  passing  along  an 
upland,  covered  with  sage-brush.  The 
hills  on  our  left  are  smooth  and  covered 
with  a  good  coat  of  bunch-grass,  affording 
most  excellent  pasturage  for  stock,  sum- 
mer and  winter. 

Argenta— is  11.1  miles  further  west 
This  was  formerly  a  regular  eating  station 
and  the  distributing  point  for  Austin  and 
the  Ree'se  River  country ;  but  is  now  a  sim- 
ple side-track.  Paradise  Valley  lies  on  the 
north  side  of  the  river,  nearly  opposite  this 
station.  It  is  about  60  miles  long  by  eight 
wide,  very  fertile  and  thickly  settled. 
Eden  Valley,  the  northern  part  of  Para- 
dise Valley,  is  about  20  miles  long  and 
five  wide.  In  general  features  it  resembles 
the  lower  portion,  the  whole,  comprismg 
one  of  the  richest  farming  sections  in  the 
State.  Camp  Scott  and  Santa  Rosa  are 
situated  in  the  head  of  the  valley,  and 
other  small  towns  have  sprung  up  at  other 
points. 

Paradise  Creek  is  a  clear,  cold  mountain 
stream,  upon  which  are  a  number  of  grist 
and  saw  mills.  It  rises  in  the  Owyhee 
Mountains  and  flows  through  these  valleys 
to  the  Humboldt  River.  Salmon  trout  of 
enormous  size  are  found  in  the  stream  and 
its  tributaries.  Bears,  deer,  silver-gray 
foxes,  and  other  game,  abound  on  the  hills 
which  border  the  valley. 

These  valleys — the  Humboldt  for  50 
miles  east  and  west,  and  the  adjoining 
mountains — are  the  stock-raisers'  paradise. 


AND   PACIFIC   COAST   GUIDE. 


135 


Tens  of  thousands  of  cattle  are  now  roam- 
ing along  the  Humboldt  and  adjoining 
valleys,  and  surrounding  hills.  It  is  com- 
puted that  there  are  not  less  than  350  000 
head  between  Promontory  Mountain  and  the 
Sierra  Nevada  Mountains.  One  firm  near 
this  station  has  over  40,000  head,  and  one 
range  fenced  of  28,000  acres. 

A  few  miles  after  leaving  Argenta,  Reese 
River  Valley  joins  the  Humboldt — coming 
in  from  the  south.  It  is  very  diversified 
in  feature,  being  very  wide  at  some  points 
— ^from  seven  to  ten  miles — and  then  dwin- 
dling down  to  narrow  strips  of  meadow  or 
barren  sand.  Some  portions  of  the  valley 
are  susceptible  of  cultivation,  and  possess 
an  excellent  soil.  Other  portious  are  bar- 
ren sand  and  gravel  wastes,  on  which  only 
the  sage-brush  flourishes.  This  valley 
is  also  known  by  old  emigrants  as  "  Whirl- 
wind Valley,"  and  passengers  will  fre- 
quently see  columns  of  dust  ascending 
skywards.  Reese  River,  which  flows 
through  this  valley,  rises  to  the  south,  180 
to  300  miles  distant.  It  has  many  tribu- 
taries, which  find  their  source  in  the  moun- 
tain ranges  that  extend  on  either  side  of 
the  river  its  entire  length.  It  sinks  in  the 
valley  about  20  or  30  miles  before  reach- 
ing the  Humboldt.  During  the  winter 
and  spring  floods,  the  waters  reach  the 
Humboldt,  but  only  in  very  wet  times. 

Near  where  Reese  River  sinks  in  the 
valley  was  fought  the  celebrated  battle  be- 
tween the  Whites  and  Indians— settlers  and 
emigrants,  30  years  ago — which  gave  the 
general  name  of  Battle  Mountain  to  these 
ranges.  A  party  of  marauding  Shoshone 
Indians  had  stolen  a  lot  of  stock  from  the 
emigrants  and  settlers,  who  banded  them- 
selves  together  and  gave  cha  se.  They  over- 
took them  at  this  point,  and  the  fight  com, 
menced.  From  point  to  point,  from  rock 
to  rock,  down  to  the  water's  edge  they  drove 
the  red  skins,  who,  finding  themselves  sur- 
rounded, fought  with  the  stubbornness  of 
despair.  When  night  closed  in,  the  set- 
tlers found  themselves  in  possession  of 
their  stock  and  a  hard-fought  field.  How 
many  Indians  emigrated  to  the  Happy 
Hunting  Grounds  of  the  spirits  no  one 
knew,  but  from  this  time  forward  the 
power  of  the  tribe  was  broken. 

From  Argenta,  it  is  11.8  miles  to 

Battle  Hi oun tain— This  is  a  din- 
ner  station  for  passenger  trains  from  both 
the  East  and  West,  where  trains  stop  30 
minutes.  The  waiters  are  Chmese,  and 
very  lively  while    serving  a  good    meal. 


Water  for  the  little  fountain  in  front  of 
the  Battle  Mountain  House,  the  rail- 
road, and  the  town,  is  conducted  in 
pipes  from  a  big  spring  in  the  side  of 
the  mountain,  three  miles  to  the  south. 
Battle  mountain  is  the  distributing" 

goint  for  a  great  number  of  mining 
istricts, towns  and  camps,  both  north 
and  south  of  the  road. 

Stages  and  fast  freight  lines  leave 
daily  for  the  northward :  To  Tuscaro- 
ra,  68  miles;  Rock  Creek,  80  miles;; 
Cornucopia,  100  miles.  The  shipments 
from  Battle  Mountain  Station  average 
over  500  tons  per  month,  and  is  in- 
creasing. 

The  surrounding  country  is  alive 
with  herds  of  cattle,  particularly  on 
the  north  side  of  the  river,  and  this 
place  has  become  quite  a  point  for 
cattle  buyers  from  California  to  con- 
gregate. 

Nevada  Central  Railway. 

General  Offices,  Battle  Mountain. 
S.  H.  H.  Clabk,  (of  the  U.  P.  B.  R.) President 

This  is  a  three-foot  narrow  gauge, 
organized  September  2,d  1879,  comple- 
ted the  December  following,  and  sold 
to  Union  Pacific  parties  in  the  Sum- 
mer of  1881.  Its  general  course  is  to 
the  southward,  up  the  valley  of  Reese 
River,  93  miles  to  Austin.  The  grades 
are  easy,  and  the  country  tributary 
rich  in  mines,  agricultural  lands,  cat- 
tle and  sheep.  The  principal  stations 
and  distances  between,  are :  Galena, 
11  miles;  Mound  Springs,  10  miles; 
Bridges',  22  miles ;  Walters',  13  miles ; 
Hallsvale,  10  miles ;  Caton's,  10  miles ; 
Ledlies',  10  miles;  Austin,  7  miles. 
There  are  twenty  mining  districts  tri- 
butary to  this  road,  among  which  are 
Battle  Mountain, Galena,Austin,Lew- 
is,  Reese  River,  Washington, Kinsley, 
Dun  Glen,  Cortez,  Diamond,  Hum- 
boldt, Grass  Valley  and  Belmont.  In 
all  these  districts  rich  mines  are  being 
worked ;  stamp  mills  and  smelting  fur- 
naces are  numerous.  Railroads  and 
low  freights  have  resulted  in  vigorous 
development  and  better  machinery. 

Stage  connections  are  made  at  sev- 
eral points  on  the  road,  and  at  Austin 
for  all  points  in  Central  and  Southern 
Nevada. 

Austin— is  situated  near  the  sum- 
mit of  the  Toivabe-  Range,  on  the 
ground  where  the  first  silver  ore 
was  discovered  in  this  district,  m 
May,     1862.      The    discoverer,    W. 


136 


PACIFIC   COAST   GUIDE. 


M.  Talcott,  located  the 
vein  andnamed  it  Poney . 

As  soon  as  it  beca jae 
known,  prospeccors 
flocked  in,  and  the  coun- 
try was  pretty  thorough- 
ly prospected  during 
1862  and  1863.  Many 
veins  were  located,  some 
of  them  proving  very 
valuable.  Mills  were 
erected  at  different 
points,  and  from  that 
time  forward  the  dis- 
trict has  been  in  a  pros- 
perous condition. 

Austin  contains  a  pop- 
ulation of  about  2,000, 
nearly  all  of  whom 
are  engaged  in  mining 
operations.  The  town 
has  some  extensive 
Stores  and  does  a  very 
large  business  in  the 
way  of  furnishing  sup- 
plies for  the  mining 
camps  surrounding  it, 
for  fromSO  to  100  miles. 
The  Reese  Miver  Beveille 
is  a  live  daily  pub- 
lished   here.     To    the 


south 


of    Battle 

Mountain  Station,  about  20  miles,  are 
several  hot  springs,  strongly  impreg- 
nated with  sulphur  and  other  minerals, 
but  they  attract  no  particular  attention, 
being  too   common   to   excite   curiosity. 

Leaving  the  station  we  skirt  the  base  of 
the  mountains  to  the  left,  leaving  the  river 
far  to  our  right  over  against  the  base  of 
Battle  Mountain.  We  are  now  in  the  wid- 
est part  of  the  valley,  about  opposite  the 
Big  Bend  of  the  Humboldt. 

After  passing  the  Palisades  the  river  in- 
clines to  the  south  for  aboutSO  miles,  when 
it  sweeps  away  to  the  north,  along  the  base 
of  Battle  Mountain,  for  30  miles  further ; 
then  turning  nearly  dae  s  lutli,  it  follows 
that  direction  until  it  discharges  its  waters 
in  Humboldt  Lake,  about  50  miles  by  the 
river  course  from  the  great  elbow,  forming 
a  vast  semi-circle,  washed  by  its  waters  for 
three-fourths  of  the  circumference.  This 
vast  area  of  land,  or  most  of  it,  comprising 
many  tliousand  acres  of  level  upland,  bor- 
dered by  green  meadows,  is  susceptible  of 
cultivation  when  irrigated.  The  sage- 
brush grows  luxuriantly,  and  where  the 
alkali  beds  do  not  appear,  the  soil  produces 
a  good  crop  of  bunch-grass.      The  road 


TRUCKEE    RIVER. 

takes  the  short  side  of  the  semi-circle 
keeping  close  to  the  foot  of  the  isolated 
Humboldt  Spur.  On  the  opposite  side  of 
the  river,  behind  the  Battle  Mountain 
Range,  are  several  valleys,  watered  by  the 
mountain  streams,  and  affording  a  large 
area  of  first-class  farming  land.  Chief 
among  these  is  Quinn's  Valley,  watered 
by  the  river  of  that  name.  The  arable 
portion  of  the  valley  is  about  75  miles  long, 
ranging  in  width  from  three  to  seven  miles. 
It  is  a  fine  body  of  valley  land,  capable  of 
producing  luxuriant  crops  of  grain,  grass 
or  vegetables.  The  hills  which  enclose  it 
afford  excellent  pasturage.  Timber  of  va- 
rious qualities — spruce  and  pine  predomi- 
nating— is  found  in  the  gulches  and  ravines 
of  the  mountains. 

Quinn's  River,  which  flows  through  this 
valley,  is  a  large  stream  rising  in  the  St. 
Rosa  Hills  of  the  Owyhee  range,  about  150 
miles  distant.  From  its  source  the  general 
course  of  the  river  is  due  south  for  about 
80  miles,  when  it  turns  and  runs  due  west 
until  it  reaches  Mud  Lake.  During  the 
summer  but  little,  if  any,  of  its  waters 
reach  that  place,  being  absorbed  by  the 
barren  plain  which  lies  between  the  foot- 
hills and  the  Humboldt  River.      Near  the 


cbofutt's  new  overland  tourist 


137 


head-waters  of  Quinn's  River,  the  Crooked 
Creek,  or  Antelope,  rises  and  flows  due 
north  for  about  50  miles,  when  it  empties 
its  waters  into  the  Owyhee  River.  The 
head-waters  of  the  streams  which  run  from 
the  southern  slope  of  the  Owyhee  Moun- 
tains are  well  supplied  with  salmon  and 
trout,  and  other  varieties  of  fish.  Quail, 
grouse,  and  four-footed  game  are  abundant 
in  the  valleys  and  timbered  mountains. 

Piute— is  4.9  miles  west  of  Battle 
Mountain  Station.  Here  passenger  trains 
from  the  east  and  west  meet. 

C/Oin — a  flag  station,  is  7.8  miles  west 
of  Piute. 

Intone  House — is  7.1  miles  further. 
This  place  was  once  an  old  trading  post, 
strongly  fortified  against  Indian  attacks. 
The  Stone  House  stood  at  the  foot  of  an  ab- 
rupt hill,  by  the  side  of  a  spring  of  excel- 
lent water,  but  is  now  a  mass  of  ruins.  To 
the  south  of  this  station  are  more  of  the 
many  hot  springs  that  abound  in  the  Ne- 
vada Basin. 

We  cross  a  broad  sage-brush  bottom,  the 
soil  of  which  in  places  is  sandy  and  in 
others  alkaline,  and  then  wind  along  around 
the  base  of  a  mountain  spur  that  shoots 
away  to  the  northward,  and  come  to 

Iron  Point — a  small  side-track,  12.4 
miles  from  Stone  House.  Here  are  located 
a  few  cattle-yards  and  shutes  for  loading 
cattle.  At  this  station  the  blufis  draw 
close  and  high  on  each  side,  with  the  river 
and  a  narrow  strip  of  meadow  land  on  the 
right.  After  passing  around  the  point  and 
through  numerous  cuts  for  two  miles,  the 
canyon  widens  into  a  valley  for  several 
miles,  then  closes  in,  and  the  train  passes 
around  another  rocky  point  into  another 
valley,  and  stops  at 

Oolconda — a  station  11.4  miles  from 
Iron  Point.  This  is  a  small  station  with  a 
few  good  buildings.  Large  herds  of  cattle 
range  near  by  in  the  surrounding  valleys, 
and  on  the  bluff's.  Rich  mines  of  gold 
and  silver  are  located  both  to  the  north 
and  south ;  one,  the  Golconda  mine  and 
mill,  only  three  miles  distant  to  the  south. 
Close  to  the  west  of  the  station,  under  the 
edge  of  the  bluff"  on  the  right,  are  located 
some  hot  springs.  Here  some  of  the  set- 
tlers— as  at  Springville,  Utah — use  the  hot 
water  for  their  advantage — one  for  milling 
the  other  for  stimulating  the  soil. 

Continuing  our  journey,  we  pass  over  a 
broad  sage-brush  plain,  with  wide  mead- 
ows beyond,  for  10.9  miles  to 


Tuie — an  unimportant  station, 
ing  on  down  the  valley  we  skirt  the  hilla 
on  our  left,  drawing  still  closer,  in  some 
places  the  spurs  reaching  to  the  track.  On 
our  left  is  an  opening  in  the  hills,  from 
whence  a  canyon  opens  out  near  the  road- 
side. It  is  about  five  miles  long,  contain- 
ing living  springs.  Here  were  discovered 
the  first  mines  in  this  part  of  Nevada.  In 
the  spring  of  1860,  Mr.  Barbeau,  who  was 
herding  stock  for  Coperning,  discovered 
the  silver  ore,  and  from  this  beginning,  the 
prospecting  was  carried  on  with  vigor, 
which  resulted  in  locating  many  very  val- 
uable bodies  of  ore. 

From  Tule  it  is  5.8  miles  to  the  end  of 
the  Humboldt  division,  at  Winnemucca. 

Winnemucca — is  the  commence, 
ment  of  the  Truckee  Division.  The  station 
was  named  after  a  chief  of  the  Piute  In- 
dians who  formerly  resided  here.  Eleva- 
tion 4,331  feet.  Distance  from  Omaha 
1,451  miles;  from  San  Francisco  463 
miles. 

Winnemucca  is  the  county  seat  of  Hum- 
boldt county,  and  is  composed  of  what  is 
known  as  the  old  and  new  towns,  which, 
together,  contain  about  800  inhabitants. 
The  old  town  is  situated  on  the  low  land 
directly  fronting  the  station,  about  300 
yards  distant.  Though  so  near,  it  is  hid 
from  sight  until  you  approach  the  bank 
and  look  over.  The  town  contains  about 
150  buildings  of  all  sorts,  among  which  are 
a  fine  new  court-house,  stamp  mill,  smelt- 
ing works,  flouring  mill,  and  a  good  hotel, 
the  Central  Pacific. 

The  buildings  with  few  exceptions,  are 
of  wood,  new,  and  like  most  of  the  railroad 
towns,  more  useful  than  ornamental.  The 
company  have  located  here  the  usual 
division  work  and  repair  shops,  including 
a  16-stall  round-house.  They  are  built  of 
wood  in  the  most  substantial  manner,  as 
are  all  the  shops  along  the  road. 

There  is  considerable  mining  going  on 
around  and  near  Winnemucca,  and  quite  a 
number  of  mills  and  furnaces  are  in  opera- 
tion, all  of  which  are  said  to  be  doing  well. 
In  the  Winnemucca  Range,  many  lodes  of 
silver-bearing  ore  have  been  located  which 
promise  a  fair  return  for  working. 

Stages  leave  here  daily  for  CampMc- 
Dermott,  80  miles,  fare  $15 ;  Paradise,  40 
miles,  fare  $5;  Silver  City,  Idaho,  200 
miles,  fare  $40 ;  Boise  City,  255  miles,  fare 
$40.  Fast  freight  trains  run  from  this 
station  to  all  the  above  towns,  and  to  the 
mining  camps  in  the  adjoining  country. 


138 


ceofutt's  new  overland  tourist 


HLJUJJOlvDT  HOUSE.— Ske  Nkxt  PAGE, 


The  Silver  State,  a  weekly  newspa- 
per, is  published  here.  Winnemucca 
is  the  great  distributing  point  for  a 
number  of  mining  districts  to  the 
north  and  south,  and  does  an  exten- 
sive freighting  business.  Many  herds 
of  cattle  and  sheep  range  the  adjacent 
country,  and  large  numbers  are 
brought  here  for  shipment  to  Cali- 
fornia. 

Mud  Lake— is  about  50  miles  west  of 
this  station,  across  the  Humboldt, 
which  here  turns  to  the  south,  and  is 
one  of  those  peculiar  lakes  found  in 
the  great  basin  of  Nevada.  The  lake 
receives  the  waters  of  Quinn's  River 
and  several  smaller  tributaries  during 
the  wet  season.  It  has  no  outlet,  unless 
its  connection  with  Pyramid  and  Win- 
nemucca lakes  could  be  so  designated. 
It  is  about  50  miles  ^ong  bjr  20  wide,  in 
high  water;  in  summer  it  dwindles 
down  to  a  marshy  tract  of  land  and  a 


large  stagnant  pool.  At  the  head  of 
the  lake  is  Black  Rock,  a  noted  land- 
mark in  this  part  of  the  country.  It  is 
a  bold,  rocky  headland,  rising  about 
1,800  feet  above  the  lake,  bleak,  bare, 
and  extending  for  several  miles.  It  is 
an  isolated  peak  in  this  desert  waste, 
keeping  solitary  guard  amid  the  sur- 
rounding desolation. 

Pyramid  Lake— is  about  20  miles 
south  of  Mud  Lake,  which  receives  the 
waters  of  Truckee  River.  It  is  about 
30  miles  long  by  20  wide  during  the  wet 
seasons.'  The  quality  of  the  water  is 
superior  to  that  of  Mud  Lake,  though 
the  water  of  all  these  lakes  is  more  or 
less  brackish. 

Winnemucca  Lake  —  a  few  miles 
east  of  Pyramid  Lake,  is  another 
stagnant  pond,  about  fifteen  miles 
long  by  ten  wide.  This  lake  is  con- 
nected with  Pyramid  Lake  by  a  small 
stream,  and  that  in  turn  with  Mud 


"So,  49  Annex.  Sierra  IVevada  Monn- 
ticins. — The  large  illustration,  No.  14,  of  the 
Sierras,  is  from  a  phofbgraph,  and  affords  a  beau- 
tiful view  of  the  highest  point  of  the  Sierra  Ne- 
vada Mountains,  passed  over  by  the  Central  Pa- 


cific railroad.  There  are  to  be  seen  a  succession 
of  tunnels  and  snow-sheds,  which  extend  without 
a  break  for  28  miles  ;  below  is  the  "  Gem  of  the 
Sierras,"  Donner  Lake.  (For  description,  see 
pages  155  and  156  of  this  book.) 


CEOFTJTT  S   XEW   OVERLAID   TOURIST 


139 


Lake,  but  only  during  high  water,  when 
the  streams  flowing  into  them  cause  them 
to  spread  far  over  the  low,  sandy  waste 
around  them. 

Returning  to  "Winnemucca,  we  resume 
our  journey.  The  road  bears  away  to  the 
southward,  skirting  the  low  hills  which 
extend  from  the  Winnemucca  Mountain 
toward  Humboldt  Lake.  The  general 
aspect  of  the  country,  is  sage  and  alkali  on 
the  bottoms,  and  sage  and  bunch-grass  on 
the  bluffs. 

Rose  Creek — comes  next,  8.88  miles, 
and  10.2  more, 

Raspberry  Creek— Both  the  last 
named  are  unimportant  stations  where  pas- 
senger trains  seldom  stop.  They  are  each 
named  after  creeks  near  the  stations,  but 
why  one  should  be  Rose  Creek  and  the 
other  Raspberry  Creek,  we  never  could 
learn.  We  saw  no  indication  of  roses  or 
raspberries  at  either  creek.  But  they  do 
have  queer  names  for  things  in  this 
country.  Where  they  call  a  Jack  rabbit  a 
"  narrow  gauge  mule,"  we  are  prepared  to 
hear  sage-brush  called  roses,  and  grease- 
wood  raspberries. 

Mill  City— is  7.49  miles  from  Rasp- 
berry, and  has  some  good  buildings,  among 
which  is  a  fine  hotel,  close  to  the  track  on 
the  right — and  large  freight  warehouses; 
also  cattle  pens  and  shutes  for  shipping 
cattle,  great  numbers  of  which  roam  over 
the  bottoms  and  adjacent  bluffs.  Stages 
leave  this  station  on  arrival  of  the  cars  for 
Unionville,  a  thrifty  and  promising  silver 
mining  town,  18  miles  distant  to  the  south- 
ward. 

Hnmboldt— 11.7  miles  from  Mill 
City,  is  a  regular  eating  station  where 
trains  for  the  West  stop  30  minutes  for 
supper,  and  those  for  the  East  the  same 
time  for  breakfast.  The  meals  are  the  best 
on  ♦^he  road. 

Hei^e  will  be  found  the  clearest,  coldest 
mountain  spring  water  along  the  road,  and 
viewing  it  as  it  shoots  up  from  the  fountain 
in  front  of  the  station,  one  quite  forgets  the 
look  of  desolation  observable  on  every 
side,  and  that  this  station  is  on  the  edge  of 
the  great  Nevada  Desert. 

It  is  worth  the  while  of  any  tourist  who 
wishes  to  examine  the  wonders  of  nature 
to  stop  here  and  remain  for  a  few  days  at 
least — for  one  day  will  not  suffice — although 
to  the  careless  passer-by  the  countiy  ap- 
pears devoid  of  interest.  Those  who  wish 
to  delve  into  nature's  mysteries  can  here  find 
pleasant  and  profitable  employment.    The 


whole  sum  of  man's  existence  does  not  con. 
sist  in  mines,  mills,  merchandise  and 
money.  There  are  other  ways  of  employ- 
ing the  mind  besides  bending  its  energies 
to  the  accumulation  of  wealth ;  there  is  still 
another  God,  mightier  than  Mammon,  wor- 
shiped by  the  few.  Among  the  works  of 
His  hands— these  barren  plains,  brown 
hills  and  curious  lakes — the  seeker  after 
knowledge  can  find  ample  opportunities  to 
gratify  his  taste.  The  singular  formation 
of  the  soil,  the  lava  deposits  of  a  by-gone 
age,  the  fossil  remains  and  marine  evi- 
dences of  past  submersion,  and,  above  all 
else,  the  grand  and  unsolved  problem  by 
which  the  waters  that  are  continually  pour- 
ing into  this  great  basin  are  prevented  from 
overflowing  the  low  land  around  them,  are 
objects  worthy  of  the  close  attention  and 
investigation  of  the  scholar  and  philoso- 
pher. From  this  station,  the  noted  points 
of  the  country  are  easy  of  access. 

Here  one  can  observe  the  effects  of  irri- 
gation on  this  sandy,  sage-brush  country. 
The  garden  at  the  station  produces  vege- 
tables, corn  and  fruit  trees  luxuriantly,  and 
yet  but  a  short  time  has  elapsed  since  it 
was  covered  with  a  rank  growth  of  sage- 
brush. 

About  seven  miles  to  the  northeast  may 
be  seen  Star  Peak,  the  highest  point  in  the 
Humboldt  Range,  on  which  the  snow  con- 
tinues to  hold  its  icy  sway  the  whole  year 
round.  Two  and  one-half  miles  southeast 
are  the  Humbold*;  mines — five  in  number — 
rich  in  gold  and  silver.  The  discovery  of 
a  borax  mine  near  the  station  has  been  re- 
cently reported.  Five  miles  to  the  north- 
west are  the  Lanson  Meadows,  on  which 
are  cut  immense  quantities  of  as  good 
grass  as  can  be  found  in  the  country. 
Thirty  miles  north  are  the  new  sulphur 
mines,  where  that  suspicious  mineral  has 
been  found  in  an  almost  pure  state,  and  so 
hard  that  it  requires  to  be  blasted  before  it 
can  be  got  out  of  the  mine,  and  in  quanti- 
ties sufficient  to  enable  those  operating  the 
mine  to  ship  from  20  to  30  car-loads  a 
week  to  San  Francisco.  Leaving  Hum- 
boldt, about  one  mile  distant,  on  the  right 
near  the  road,  is  another  sulphur  mine^ 
but  it  is  undeveloped. 

Rye  Patch- is  11.23  miles  from  Hum- 
boldt,  named  for  a  species  of  wild  rye  that 
grows  luxuriantly  on  the  moist  ground 
near  the  station . 

To  the  left  of  the  road,  against  the  hill- 
side, is  another  hot  spring,  over  whose  sur- 
face a  cloud  of  vapor  is  generally  floating. 


140 


PACIFIC   COAST   GUIDE. 


The  medicinal  qualities  of  the  water  are 
highly  spoken  of  by  those  who  never  tried 
them,  hut  we  could  learn  of  no  reliable 
analysis  of  its  properties.  To  the  right  of 
the  track  is  located  a  10-stamp  quartz  mill, 
the  ores  for  which  come  from  the  moun- 
tains on  the  left  The  Rye  Patch  and  El- 
dorado mining  Districts  are  to  the  left, 
from  five  to  fifteen  miles  distant,  for  which 
most  of  the  supplies  are  hauled  from  this 
station. 

Oreana — is  reached  after  passing  over 
a  rough,  uneven  country  for  10.13  miles. 
To  the  southeastward  are  located  a  num- 
ber of  mining  districts,  in  which  are  lo- 
cated a  number  of  stamp  mills  and  smelt- 
ing works. 

Leaving  the  station  to  the  west,  the  long 
gray  line  of  the  desert  is  seen  cheerless 
and  desolate.  We  draw  near  the  river 
again  and  catch  occasional  glimpses  of 
narrow,  green  meadows,  with  here  and 
there  a  farm-house  by  the  river-side; 
pass  a  smelting  furnace  and  stamp  mill — 
on  the  Humboldt  River — to  the  right,  which 
has  been  dammed  near  by  to  afford  water 
power.  Five  miles  from  the  station  we 
cross  a  Howe  truss  bridge  over  the  river, 
which  here  winds  away  on  our  left  until  it 
reaches  the  lake  a  few  miles  beyond.  The 
current  and  volume  of  the  river  has  been 
materially  reduced  since  we  left  it  at  the 
head  of  the  Big  Bend. 

liOvelocks— 11.86  miles  from  Ore- 
ana,  derives  its  name  from  an  old  meadow 
ranche  which  is  situated  near,  upon  which, 
during  the  summer,  large  quantities  of  hay 
are  cut  and  baled  for  market.  Some  at- 
tempt has  been  made  at  farming  near  by, 
but  little  of  the  country  is  adapted  to  the 
purpose.  Cattle  and  sheep  raising  is  the 
principal  occupation  of  the  people— but 
few  herds  will  be  seen  hereafter  on  our 
route.  Reliable  authority  places  the  num. 
ber  of  head  of  stock  now  along  the  Hum- 
boldt River  and  adjacent  valleys— 1878— 
cattle,  353,000  head;  sheep,  30,000  head. 
During  the  year  there  were  shipped  from 
the  same  section  to  Chicago  20  car-loads  of 
cattle,  and  486  car-loads  to  San  Francisco. 

Passing  on  over  alkali  beds,  sand-hills 
and  sage-brush  knobs,  the  meadow-lands 
along  the  bottom  get  narrower,  and 
finally  fade  from  sight  altogether,  and  we 
find  ourselves  fairly  out  on  the 

Great  Nevada  Desert — This  desert 
occupies  the  largest  portion  of  the  Ne- 
vada Basin.  In  this  section,  to  the  north- 
ward, is  Mud  Lake,  Pyramid  Lake,  Hum- 


boldt, Winnemucca  and  Carson  lakes, 
which  receive  the  waters  of  several  large 
rivers  and  numerous  small  creeks.  As  we 
have  before  stated,  ihey  form  a  portion  of 
that  vast  desert  belt  which  constitutes  the 
central  area  of  the  Nevada  Basin.  The 
desert  consists  of  barren  plains  destitute  of 
wood  or  water,  and  low,  broken  hills, 
which  afford  but  little  wood,  water  or 
grass.  It  is  a  part  of  that  belt  which  can 
be  traced  through  the  whole  length  of  tbe 
State,  from  Oregon  to  Arizona,  and  far 
into  the  interior  of  that  Territory.  The 
Forty  Mile  Desert,  and  the  barren  country 
east  of  Walker's  Lake,  are  part  of  this 
great  division  which  extends  southward, 
continued  by  those  desolate  plains,  to  the 
east  of  Silver  Peak,  on  which  the  unfortu- 
nate Buel  party  suffered  so  terribly  in  their 
attempt  to  reach  the  Colorado  River. 
Throughout  this  vast  extent  of  territory 
the  same  characteristics  are  found — evi. 
deuces  of  recent  volcanic  action — alkaline 
flats,  bassalt  rocks,  hot  springs  and  sandy 
wastes  abounding  in  all  portions  of  this 
great  belt. 

Although  this  desert  is  generally  spoken 
of  as  a  sandy  waste,  sand  does  not  predom- 
inate. Sand  hills  and  flats  occur  at  inter- 
vals, but  the  main  bed  of  the  desert  is  lava 
and  clay  combined — one  as  destitute  of  the 
power  of  creating  or  supporting  vegetable 
life  as  the  other.  The  action  of  the 
elements  has  covered  these  clay  and  lava 
deposits  with  a  coarse  dust,  resembling 
sand,  which  is  blown  about  and  deposited 
in  curious  drifts  and  knolls  by  the  wind. 
Where  more  of  sand  than  clay  is  found, 
the  sage-brush  occasionally  appears  to  have 
obtained  a  faint  hold  of  life,  and  bravely 
ti'ies  to  retain  it. 

Oranite  Point— a  flag  station,  is 
8.33  miles  from  Lovelock's.  Passing  on, 
an  occasional  glimpse  of  Humboldt  Lake, 
which  lies  to  the  left  of  the  road,  can  be 
obtained,  and  in  full  view  7.65  miles  fur- 
ther, at 

Brofm's — This  station  is  situated 
about  midway  of  the  northern  shore, 
directly  opposite 

Humboldt  Lake — This  body  of  water  is 
about  35  miles  long  by  ten  wide,  and  is  in 
reality  a  widening  of  the  Humboldt  River, 
which  after  coursing  through  350  miles  of 
country,  empties  its  waters  into  this  basin. 
Through  this  basin  the  water  flows  to  the 
plains  beyond  by  an  outlet  at  the  lower  end 
of  the  lake,  uniting  with  the  waters  of  the 
sink  of  Carson  Lake  which  lies  about  ten 


CROFUTT'S   NEW   OVERLAND   TOURIST 


141 


miles  distant.  During  the  wet  season, 
-vrhen  the  swollen  rivers  have  overflowed 
the  low  lands  around  the  lakes  and  united 
them,  they  form  a  very  respectable  sheet  of 
water,  about  eighty  miles  or  more  in  length, 
with  a  large  river  emptying  its  waters  into 
each  end ;  and  for  this  vast  volume  of  water 
there  is  no  visible  outlet. 

Across  the  outlet  of  Humboldt  Lake  a 
dam  has  been  erected,  which  has  raised 
the  water  about  six  feet,  completely  oblit- 
erating the  old  emigrant  road  which  passed 
close  to  the  southern  shore.  The  necessi- 
ties of  mining  have  at  length  utilized  the 
waters  of  the  lake,  and  now  they  are  em- 
ployed in  turning  the  machinery  of  a 
quartz  mill.  In  the  lower  end  of  the  lake 
is  an  island — along  narrow  strip  of  land — 
which  extends  up  the  lake  and  near  the 
northern  shore.  Before  the  dam  was  put 
in  the  outlet,  this  island  was  part  of  the 
main  land.  There  are  several  varieties  of 
fish  in  the  lake,  and  an  abundance  of 
water-fowl  during  portions  of  the  year. 

Leaving  Brown's,  and  passing  alon^  the 
shore  of  the  lake  for  a  few  miles,  an  inter- 
vening sand  ridge  hides  the  lake  from  our 
sight,  and  about  eight  miles  west  we  ob- 
tain a  fine  view  of  the  Sink  of  Carson  Lake, 
which  is  a  small  body  of  water  lying  a  few 
miles  north  of  the  main  Carson  Lake,  and 
connected  with  that  and  the  Humboldt  dur- 
ing the  wet  season. 

Carson  Lake  lies  directly  south  of 
Humboldt  Lake,  and  is  from  20  to  25  miles 
long,  with  a  width  of  ten  miles.  In  the 
winter  its  waters  cover  considerable  more 
area,  the  Sink  and  lake  being  one. 

The  Carson  River  empties  into  the  south- 
ern end  of  the  lake,  discharging  a  large 
volume  of  water.  What  becoraps  of  the 
vast  body  of  water  continually  pouring 
into  these  lakes,  is  the  problem  yet  un- 
solved. Some  claim  the  existence  of  un- 
derground channels,  and  terrible  stories 
are  told  of  unfortunate  people  who  have 
been  drawn  down  and  disappeared  for- 
ever. These  stories  must  be  taken  with 
much  allowance.  If  underground  chan- 
nels exist,  why  is  it  that  the  lakes,  which 
are  10  to  15  miles  apart  in  low  water 
are  united  during  the  winter  floods? 
And  how  is  it,  that  when  the  waters  have 
subsided  from  these  alkaline  plains,  that  no 
openings  for  these  channels  are  visible  ? 
The  only  rational  theory  for  the  escape  of 
the  water  is  by  evaporation.  Examine 
each  little  sti  eam  bed  that  you  meet  with ; 
you  find  no  water  there  in  the  summer, 


nor  sink  holes,  yet  in  the  winter  their  beds 
are  full  until  they  reach  the  main  river. 
The  sun  is  so  powerful  on  these  lava 
plains  in  summer  that  the  water  evapo* 
rates  as  soon  as  it  escapes  from  the  cooling 
shadows  of  the  hills.  By  acutal  experi- 
ment it  has  been  demonstrated  that  at 
Carson  and  Humboldt  lakes  the  evapora- 
tion of  water  is  equal,  in  the  summer,  to 
six  inches  every  24  hours.  In*  the  winter, 
when  the  atmosphere  is  more  humid,  evap. 
oration  is  less,  consequently  the  waters 
spread  over  a  larger  area. 

Carson  River,  which  gives  its  name  to 
the  lake,  rises  in  the  eastern  slope  of  the 
Sierra  Nevada  Mountains,  south  of  Lake 
Tahoe  and  opposite  the  head  waters  of  the 
American  River.  From  its  source  to  its 
mouth  is  about  150  to  200  miles  by  the  riv- 
er's course.  From  its  source  its  course  is 
about  due  north  for  about  75  miles,  when  it 
turns  to  the  east,  and  follows  that  direction 
until  it  enters  the  lake. 

Under  the  general  name  of  Carson  Val- 
ley, the  land  bordering  the  river  has  long 
been  celebrated  as  being  one  of  the  best 
farming  sections  in  the  State.  The  thriv- 
ing towns  of  Carson  City  and  Genoa  are 
situated  in  the  vallc}^,  though  that  portion 
around  Carson  City  is  frequently  designa- 
ted as  Eagle  Valley.  The  upper  portion, 
from  Carson  to  the  foothills,  is  very  fertile, 
and  yields  handsome  crops  of  vegetables, 
though  irrigation  is  necessary  to  insure  a 
good  yield.  In  some  portions  the  small 
grains  are  successfully  cultivated,  and  on 
the  low  lands  an  abundant  crop  of  grass  is 
produced.  The  valley  is  thickly  settled, 
the  arable  land  being  mostly  occupied. 
South  and  west  of  the  head  waters  of  Car- 
son River,  the  head  waters  of  Walker's 
River  find  their  source.  The  west  fork  of 
Walker's  River  rises  within  a  few  miles  of 
the  eastern  branches  of  the  Carson.  The 
east  fork  of  Walker's  River  runs  due  north 
until  joined  by  the  west  fork,  when  the 
course  of  the  river  is  east  for  about  forty 
miles,  M'hen  it  turns  to  the  south,  following 
that  direction  until  it  reaches  Walker's 
Lake,  about  forty  miles  south  of  the  sink 
of  the  Carson,  having  traversed  in  its  tortu- 
ous course  about  140  miles.  In  the  val- 
leys, which  are  found  at  intervals  alon^  the 
rivers,  occasional  spots  of  arable  land  are 
found,  but  as  an  agricultural  country  the 
valley  of  Walker's  River  is  not  a  success. 

Walker  Lake  is  about  45  miles  long 
by  20  miles  wide.  Like  all  the  lakes  in 
the  basin,  it  has  no  outlet.    The  water  is 


142 


PACIFIC    COAST   GUIDE. 


brackish  and  strongly  impregnated  with 
alkali.  The  general  characteristics  of  the 
other  lakes  in  the  great  basin  belong  to  this 
also ;  the  description  of  one  embracing  all 
points  belonging  to  the  others. 

IVhite  Plains— is  12.17  miles 
west  of  Brown's.  This  station  is  the  low- 
est elevation  on  the  Central  Pacific  railroad 
east  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains.  As 
indicated  by  the  name,  the  plains  imme- 
diately around  the  station  are  white  with 
alkali,  solid  beds  of  which  slope  away  to 
the  sinks  of  Carson  and  Humboldt  lakes. 
Ko  vegetation  meets  the  eye  when  gazing 
on  the  vast  expanse  of  dirty  white  alkali. 
The  sun's  rays  seem  to  fall  perpendicularly 
down  on  this  barren  scene,  burning  and 
withering,  as  though  they  would  crush  out 
any  attempt  which  nature  might  make  to 
introduce  vegetable  life. 

The  water  to  fill  the  big  tank  at  the  sta- 
tion is  pumped  from  the  "  Sink  "  by  means 
of  a  stationary  engine,  which  is  situated 
about  midway  between  the  station  and  the 
Sink. 

Mirage— is  7.96  miles  from  White 
Plains.  This  station  is  named  for  that  cu- 
rious phenomenon,  the  mirage  (meerazh) 
which  is  often  witnessed  on  the  desert. 
In  early  days  the  toil-worn  emigrant,  when 
urging  his  weary  team  across  the  cheerless 
desert,  has  often  had  his  heart  lightened 
by  the  sight  of  clear,  running  streams, 
waving  trees  and  broad,  green  meadows, 
which  appeared  to  be  but  a  little  distance 
away.  Often  has  the  unwary  traveler 
turned  aside  from  his  true  course  and  fol- 
lowed the  vision  for  weary  miles,  only  to 
learn  that  he  had  followed  a  phantom,  a 
will-o'-the-wisp. 

What  causes  these  optical  delusions  no 
one  can  tell,  at  least  we  never  heard  of  a 
satisfactory  reason  being  given  for  the  ap- 
pearance  of  the  phenomenon.  We  have 
seen  the  green  fields,  the  leafy  trees  and 
Ihe  running  waters;  we  have  seen  them  all 
near  by,  as  bright  and  beautiful  as  though 
they  really  existed,  where  they  appeared 
too,  in  the  midst  of  desolation,  and  we  have 
seen  them  vanish  at  our  approach.  Who 
knows  how  many  luckless  travelers  have 
followed  these  visions,  until,  overcome  with 
thirst  and  heat,  they  laid  down  to  die  on  the 
burning  sands,  far  from  the  cooling  shade 
of  the  trees  they  might  never  reach ;  far 
from  the  music  of  running  waters,  which 
they  might  hear  no  more. 

Onward  we  go,  reclining  on  the  soft 
cushions  of  the  elegant  palace  car,  thirty 


miles  an  hour;  rolling  over  the  alkali 
and  gray  lava  beds,  scarcely  giving  a 
thought  to  those  who,  in  early  days,  sut- 
fered  so  fearfully  while  crossing  these 
plains,  and,  perchance,  left  their  bones 
to  bleach  and  whiten  upon  these  barren 
sands. 

Hot  ^Springs — is  6.57  miles  west  of 
Mirage.  Here,  to  the  right  of  the  road,  can 
be  seen  more  of  these  bubbling,  spurting 
curiosities — these  escape  pipes,  or  safety 
valves  for  the  discharge  of  the  super-abun- 
dant steam  inside  the  globe,  which  are 
scattered  over  the  great  basin.  Extensive 
salt  works  are  located  at  this  station,  from 
which  a  car-load  or  more  of  salt  is  shipped 
daily.  The  salt  springs  are  about  four 
miles  west  of  the  station. 

The  Saxon  American  Borax  Co.  have 
erected  w^orks  here  which  cost  about  $200,- 
000.  They  are  situated  a  half-mile  south  of 
the  station,  in  plain  view. 

Passing  on,  we  find  no  change  to  note, 
unless  it  be  that  the  betU  of  alkali  are  oc- 
casionally  intermixed  with  brown  jmtches 
of  lava  and  sand.  A  few  bunches  of 
stunted  sage-brush  occasionally  break  the 
monotony  of  the  scene.  It  is  worthy  of 
notice  thatthis  hardy  shrub  is  never  found 
growing  singly  and  alone.  The  reason  for 
it  is  evident.  No  single  shrub  could  ever 
maintain  an  existence  here.  It  must  have 
help ;  consequently  we  find  it  in  clumps  for 
mutual  aid  and  protection. 

Desert- is  11.7  miles  from  Hot 
Springs.  This  is,  indeed,  a  desert.  In  the 
next  5.97  miles,  we  gain  about  100  feet  alti-" 
tude,  pass  Two  Mile  Station,  descend  83 
feet  in  the  next  2.37  miles,  and  arrive  at 

Wadsworth— This  town  is  situated 
on  the  east  bank  of  the  Truckee  River  and 
the  western  border  of  the  desert,  and  con- 
tains some  good  buildings,  and  a  popula- 
tion of  about  600. 

The  division  workshops  are  located 
here,  and  consist  of  a  round-house  of  20 
stalls,  car,  machine  and  blacksmith  shops. 
Adjoining  the  workshops,  a  piece  of  land 
has  betn  fenced  in,  set  out  with  trees,  a 
fountain  erected,  and  a  sward  formed,  by 
sowing  grass-seed  and  irrigating  it — mak- 
ing a  beautiful  little  oasis.  Considerable 
freight  is  shipped  from  this  station  to  min- 
ing camps  to  the  south. 

Pine  Grove  Copper  Mines  lies  six  miles 
south  of  the  town.  They  attract  little  at- 
tention, that  mineral  not  being  much 
sought  after.  Ten  miles  south  are  the 
Desert  mines,  which  consist  of  gold-bear- 


crofutt's  new  overland  tourist 


143 


SNOW   SHEDS — SEE  PAGE  15G 


ing  quartz  lodes.  Some  of  the  mines 
there  are  considered  very  rich.  Ninety- 
miles  south,  at  Columbus,  are  located  the 
famous  Borax  mines  of  Nevada,  said  to  be 
very  rich. 


The  Piute  In- 
cians  have  two 
reservations; 
one  is  situated 
eighteen  miles 
northward,  and 
another  to  the 
southeast,  at 
Walker  Lake. 
Leaving 
Wadsworth,we 
cross  the  Truc- 
I  kee  River,  on 
a  Howe  truss 
bridge,  our 
course  being  to 
the  southwest. 
This  stream 
rises  in  Lakes 
Tab  oe  and 
Donner,  which 
lie  at  the  east- 
ern base  of  the 
Sierras,  about 
80  miles  dis- 
tant. From  its 
source  in  Lake 
T  a  h  o  e  ,  the 
I  ranch  runs 
north  tor  about 
twelve  miles, 
w  h  en — near 
TiuckeeCitjr— 
it  unites  with 
Little  Truckee, 
the  outlet  of 
Donner  Lake, 
and  turns  to 
the  east,follow- 
ing  that  course 
until  it  reaches 
this  place, 
where  it  turns 
north  about  25 
miles,  branch- 
es, and  one  por-, 
tion  enters  Pyr- 
amid and  the 
other  Winne- 
iiiucca  Lake. 

The  level 
lands  border- 
ingtheTruckee 
consist  mostly  of  gravelly  upland  covered 
with  sage-brush.  It  is  claimed  that  they 
might  be  rendered  productive  by  irriga- 
tion, and  the  experiment  has  been  tried  in 
a  small  way,  but  with  no  flattering  result 


144 


PACIFIC   COAST   GUIDE 


The  upper  portions  of  the  valley,  especially 
that  which  borders  on  Lake  Tahoe,  is  ex- 
cellent farming  land.  Between  these  two 
points— the  meadows  and  the  lake — but 
little  meadow  land  is  found,  the  val- 
ley being  reduced  to  narrow  strips  of 
low  land  in  the  canyons  and  narrows,  and 
broad,  gravelly  uplands  in  the  more  open 
country. 

I^alvia — a  small  side-track,  comes  next 
after  Wadsworth,  7.25  miles  distant.  Soon 
we  pass  around  a  lava  blufi',  called  Red 
Rock,  on  the  right,  and  7.55  miles  brings 
us  to 

Clark's  —  in  a  round  valley,  sur- 
rounded by  fenced  fields,  where  good 
crops  of  vegetables  are  raised  for  market 
in  mining  towns  to  the  south.  From 
Clark's,  it  is  11.96  miles  to 

Vista — a  sm'all  station  situated  on  the 
northern  edge  of  what  is  known  as  the 
Truckee  Meadows.  In  early  days  these 
meadows  were  a  noted  rendezvous  of  the 
emigrants,  who  camped  here  for  days  to 
recruit  their  teams  after  crossing  the  desert. 
They  have  an  extent  of  about  twelve  miles 
in  length  by  about  two  miles  in  width, 
inclosing  considerable  excellent  grass 
land.  Vegetables  and  small  grains  are 
successfully  cultivated  on  portions  of  the 
moist  land. 

Reno — is  7.64  miles  from  Vista;  is  the 
county  seat  of  Washo  county,  and  contains 
a  population  of  about  1,500.  It  was  named 
in  honor  of  General  Reno,  who  was  killed  at 
the  battle  of  South  Mountain.  This  city  has 
rapidly  improved  within  the  last  six  years, 
and  now  contains  five  church  edifices,  two 
banks,  a  fine  court-house,  a  number  of  good 
business  blocks,  a  steam  fire  department, 
several  small  factories,  two  daily  news- 
papers, the  Journal  and  the  Gazette^  and  is 
tiie  distributing  point  for  an  enormous 
freighting  business  to  the  north,  as  well  as 
the  south.  Some  good  agricultural  land 
surrounds  the  town,  as  well  as  muAy  herds 
of  cattle  and  sheep.  The  State  Agricul- 
tural grounds  are  located  here,  in  which  is 
a  very  fine  race  track.  The  Lake  House  is 
the  principal  hotel.  Stages  leave  daily  for 
Susanville,  90  miles. 

The  English  works  are  near  the  town, 
affording  excellent  means  by  which  to  test 
the  ores  discoverea  in  the  neighborhood. 

The  greatest  mining  region  in  the  world 
is  reached  via  Reno.  Virginia  City,  located 
over  the  mountain  to  the  southeast,  from 
this  station  is  only  21  miles  distant,  by  the 
old  wagon  road,  but  by  rail  it  is  52  m'les. 


Before  the  completion  of  this  road,  Vir- 
ginia City  was  reached  by  stage,  over  a 
fearfully  steep  zig-zag  mountain  road,  but 
the  difference  between  the  "  old  and  the 
new"  is  more  than  made  up  in  the  com- 
fort of  the  passage  if  not  in  time. 

At  the  time  when  these  stages  were  run- 
ning to  convey  passengers,  a  fast  "  Pony 
Express  "  was  run  for  the  purpose  of  carry- 
ing Wells,  Fargo  &  Co.'s  letter  bags.  This 
pony  express  was  once  a  great  institution. 
Approaching  Reno,  the  traveler  could  have 
observed  that  the  mail  express  bags  were 
thrown  from  the  cars  before  the  train  had 
ceased  its  motion.  By  watching  the  pro- 
ceedings still  further  he  would  see  that 
they  are  transferred  to  the  backs  of  stout 
horses,  already  bestrode  by  light,  wiry 
riders.  In  a  moment  all  is  ready,  and 
away  they  dash  under  whip  and  spur  to 
the  next  station,  when,  changing  horses, 
they  are  off  again.  Three  relays  of  horses 
were  used,  ana  some  "  good  time  "  was  often 
made  by  these  riders. 

Let  us  take  a  run  up  and  see  this 
nuge  Bo7ianza  Country. 

Virginia  &  Truckee  Railroad* 

Principal  ofllce,  Carson,  Nevada. 

D.  0,  Mills PresH San  Faancisco, 

H.  M.  YviRi^aroN....Gen'liSup''t.... Carson,  Ne'9, 
D.  A.  Bendeb QerCl  T.A....        "        " 

This  load  was  commenced  at  Carson 
City,  March  19th,  1869,  completed  to  Vir. 
ginia  City  in  the  following  November,  and 
to  Reno  in  1871.  The  length  is  52.2  miles; 
tue  grade  in  places  is  115  feet  to  the  mile, 
and  there  are  six  tunnels,  of  the  aggregate 
length  of  3,000  feet;  the  shortest  curve  ia 
19  degrees— between  Gold  Hill  and  Vir. 
ginia  City. 

The  train  for  Virginia  stands  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  station  building  from  the 
C.  P.  Let  us  step  on  board.  From  Reno, 
our  course  is  east  of  south,  crossing  a  por- 
tion of  the  Truckee  Meadows,  a  few  well- 
cultivated  fields  and  greater  quantities  of 
sage  and  grease-wood.  The  first  station  on 
the  bills  is  3.5  miles  from  Reno,-  called 

Anderson's — but  we  do  not  stop.  Cross- 
ing the  river,  we  pass  the  first  of  a  series 
of  V-shaped  flumes,  which  are  constructed 
to  float  down  wood  and  lumber  from  the 
mountains.  The  one  we  are  now  passing 
is  said  to  be  15  miles  in  length. 

HuFFAKER's  —  comcs  ncxt — after  3.6 
miles,  where  another  flume  is  passed,  both 
of  which  are  on  the  right,  and  land  their 


crofutt's  new  overland  tourist 


145 


freight — wood — close  to  the  track  of  our 
road.  Along  here  we  find  some  broad 
meadows  on  the  left,  hut  sage  on  the  right. 
Passing  over  1.9  miles  from  the  last  station 
we  arrive  at 

Brown's — Here  is  the  end  of  another 
flume,  and  2.4  miles  further,  and  after 
curving  around  to  the  right,  up  a  broad 
valley,  arrive  at  the 

Steamboat  Spkings — which  are  eleven 
miles  south  of  Reno.  There  are  several  of 
these  curious  springs  within  a  short  dis- 
tance of  the  road.  They  are  near  each 
other,  all  having  a  common  source,  though 
different  outlets,  apparently.  They  are  sit 
uated  to  the  right  of  the  road,  just  before 
reaching  the  station,  a  short  distance  above 
the  track ;  are  strongly  impregnated  with 
sulphur,  and  ar  -  very  hot,  though  the  tem- 
perature varies  in  different  springs. 

They  are  said  to  possess  excellent  me- 
dicinal qualities.  At  times  they  are  quite 
active,  emitting  jets  of  water  and  clouds 
of  steam,  which  at  a  distance  resemble  the 
blowing  off  of  steam  from  a  large  boiler. 
The  ground  around  them  is  soft  and  treach- 
erous in  places,  as  though  it  had  been 
thrown  up  by  the  springs,  and  had  not  yet 
cooled  or  hardened.  It  is  related  that  once 
upon  a  time,  when  a  party  of  emigrants, 
who  were  toiling  across  the  plains,  arrived 
near  these  springs  about  camping  time, 
they  sent  a  man  ahead — a  Dutchman — to 
look  out  for  a  suitable  place  for  camping — 
one  where  water  and  grass  could  be  ob- 
tained. In  his  search  the  Dutchman  dis- 
covered these  springs,  which  happened  to 
be  quiet  at  the  time,  and  knelt  down  to' 
take  a  drink  of  the  clear,  nice-looking 
water.  Just  at  that  instant  a  jet  of  spray 
was  thrown  out,  and  over  the  astonished 
Dutchman.  Springing  to  his  feet,  he 
dashed  away  to  the  train,  shouting  at  the 
top  of  his  voice,  "Drive  on!  drive  on! 
h — 1  is  not  five  miles  from  this  place!" 
Guess  the  innocent  fellow  firmly  believed 
what  he  uttered. 

^  The  traveler  will  find  the  springs  suffi- 
ciently interesting  to  repay  him  for  the 
trouble  of  pausing  here  awhile  and  taking 
a  look  around.  At  the  station  will  be 
found  a  comfortable  hotel,  ample  bath  ac- 
commodations, and  about  a  half-dozen  resi- 
dences. 

Leaving  the  springs,  our  course  is  south, 
up  a  narrow  valley,  in  which  is  some  good 
farming  land,  with  high  bluffs  on  each 
side ;  cross  and  re-cross  Steamboat  Creek, 
curve  to  the  right  through  a  narrow  canyon 
10 


where  there  are  many  evidences  of  placer 
mining ;  twist  and  climb,  between  high  pro- 
jecting cliffs,  and  suddenly  emerge  into  a 
great  valley,  and  stop  at 

Washoe  City— Ah !  here  is  a  child  of 
the  past.  In  its  palmy  days  Washoe  was 
as  lively  a  city,  or  camp,  as  could  be  found 
in  the  whole  mining  region.  Where  thou- 
sands of  people  once  toiled,  there  are  now 
only  a  few  dozen,  and  most  of  those  are 
engaged  in  other  pursuits  than  mining. 
On  the  right  is  another  flume  for  floating 
wood  from  the  mountains  on  the  west- 
ward. 

The  valley  near  this  place  is  from  half  to 
a  mile  in  width,  surrounded  by  high  moun- 
tains, thehighest  peak  of  which  is  Mt.  Rose, 
at  the  south  end  of  the  valley,  over  8,000  feet 
in  height.  The  mountains  on  the  east  are 
bare,  with  some  sage  and  bunch-grass, 
while  those  on  the  west  are  covered,  the 
greater  part,  with  pine  and  spruce  timber. 

Leaving  Washoe,  we  pass,  on  the  left, 
the  Old  OphirMill,  a  stone  building — now 
in  ruins — which  once  gave  employment  to 
about  150  men,  besides  a  $30,000  a  year 
superintendent. 

Franktown — is  4.7  miles  from  Washoe,a 
growing  station  in  the  midst  of  Washoe 
valley ;  population  about  150.  A  "V"  flume 
comes  down  on  the  right.  There  are  some 
good  farming  lands  along  here,  but  the 
greater  portion  is  only  adapted  for  grazing 
purposes. 

Washoe  Lake,  on  the  left,  is  about  four 
miles  long  and  one  mile  wide.  On  the 
east  side  of  the  lake  is  Bower^s  Hotel,  a 
great  resort  in  the  summer  for  pic-nic  par- 
ties from  the  cities  to  the  southward.  From 
Franktown  it  is  2.6  miles  to 

MiLii  Station— near  the  site  of  an  old 
mill,  where  another  "V"  flume  comes  down 
from  the  mountains  on  the  right,  making 
six  since  leaving  Reno. 

Proceed  ng  south,  the  valley  narrows 
and  is  soon  crowded  out  completely,  and 
we  rise  up  onto  the  southern  rim;  and 
then,  a  look  back  will  take  in  the  wholf 
valley  and  lake  from  end  to  end,  and  f 
beautiful  view  it  is.  At  this  narrow  gorg« 
the  railroad  track  crosses  the  great 

Water  Syphon,  through  which  th< 
water  is  conducted  from  the  Sierra  Nevada 
Mountains,  on  the  west,  across  this  narrow 

forge,  for  supplying  Virginia  City,  Gold 
[ill  and  Silver  City.  It  is  an  achievement 
which  finds  no  parallel  in  the  history  of 
hydraulic  engineering.     The  total  length 


146 


crofutt's  new  overland  tourist 


of  the  pipe  used  is  but  little  less  than  seven  miles. 

At  the  point  where  the  water  is  taken  from  DalPs 
Creek,  up  in  the  Sierras,  it  is  brought  in  an  18-inch 
flume,  four  miles  long,  to  the  point  of  a  spur  on  the 
west  side  of  Washoe  Valley,  the  height  of  which  is 
'2,100  feet  above  the  railroad  track.  At  the  point 
where  the  water  in  the  flume  reaches  the  spur  it  is 
received  in  an  iron  pipe,  which,  after  running  along 
the  crest,  descending,  crossing  and  ascending  twelve 
steep  canons  on  its  route,  finally  descends  into  this 
gorge,  crosses  it  from  the  west,  and  ascends  the  cliff 
on  the  east  side  to  a  height  of  1,540  feet,  where  it  is 
taken  by  another  flume  and  conducted  to  a  reservoir 
on  the  Divide  between  Virginia  City  and  Gold  Hill. 
The  pipe  has  an  orifice  twelve  inches  in  diameter, 
and  where  the  pressure  is  the  greatest,  is  five-six- 
teenths of  an  inch  in  thickness,  riveted  with  five- 
eighth  inch  rivets  in  double  rows.  "Where  the  press- 
ure lessens,  the  thickness  of  the  material  gradual- 
ly decreases. 

The  amount  of  rolled  iron  used  in  constructing  the 
pipe  was  1,150,000  lbs.  One  million  rivets  and  52,000 
lbs  of  lead  were  used  on  the  pipe.  Before  being  used 
each  length  of  pipe—  26  feet  long  each — was  heated 
to  a  temperature  of  380  degrees,  and  submerged  in  a 
bath  of  asphaltum  and  coal  tar,  to  prevent  corroding. 
At  the  bottom  of  each  depression  there  is  a  blow-off 
cock,  for  removing  any  sediment  that  might  accu- 
mulate, and  at  each  elevation  is  an  air- cock  to  let 
out  the  air  when  the  water  is  first  introduced  into  the 
pipes.    Where  the  water  pipe  runs  under  the  railroad 


Giant  Geyser,  Yellowstone  Park. 


Ko.   $M:  Annex.    Hauling:   Orefv   in 

Hides— On  a  recent  visit  to  Little  Cotton- 
•wood  Canon,  Utah,  we  saw  a  very  novel  con- 
trivance being  used  by  the  Emma  Mining 
Company,  whose  mine  is  situated  about  1,- 
000  feet  above  the  railroad  depot,  on  the 


surrounded  by  a  massive  Iron  sleeve, 
12  feet  long,  to  protect  it  from  the  jar  of 
passing  trains.  This  pipe  is  capable  of  fur- 
nishing 2,000,000  gallons  daily.  The  whole 
cost  of  construction  was  seven  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  dollars.  A  movement 
is  now  on  foot  to  lay  another  and  larger 


side  of  the  mountains.  The  snow  was  several  feet 
deep,  and  the  ore  was  being  hauled  down  to  the  depot 
in  drags.  The  drags  consisted  of  a  gi-eeu  ox  hide.  The 
ore  is  first  sewed  up  in  sacks  of  100  lbs.  each,  then 
placed  on  the  hide,  which  has  loops  around  the  edge, 
and  when  15  of  these  sacks  are  in  position,  a  rope  is 
run  through  the  loops  in  the  hide,  the  edges  di-awn 
together,  then  a  mule  or  horse  is  hitched  to  the  head 
poi-tion  of  the  hide— with  the  hair  outwards— and  a 
brake  to  the  tail.  The  brake  is  of  iron,  shaped  like  a 
horse-shoe,  with  teeth  that  drag  through  the  snow, 
holding  back. 

In  coming  down  the  hill  the  driver  stands  on  the 
hide,  but  when  it  becomes  necessary  on  account  of 
heavy  grade  to  "  dmvn  brakes,"  the  driver  changes  his 

^  position  and    stands  on  the  horse-shoe  instead  of 

'-.1  the  hide.  

The  first  half  of  a  wagon  train  is  called  the  "  right 
wing,"  the  other  half  the  "left  wing."  Informing  a 
corral,  the  wagons  of  the  "  right  wing"  form  a  half 
circle  on  the  right  hand  side  of  the  road,  hauled  close 
together,  teams  on  the  outside  ;  the  "left" wing"  forms 
on  the  left  side  in  the  same  manner,  leaving  a  passage 
\7ay  open  at  the  front  and  rear  ends  of  each  "  wing." 
called 


gaps. 


"A 
O 
O 
Pi^ 
Od 
O 

C^" 

> 

o 
u 

;zf 

o 

s 

< 


ckofutt's  new  overland  tourist 


147 


pipe  near  the  present  one. 

From  Mill  station  it  is  2.5  miles  to 

Lake  View — situated  just  south  of 
the  southern  lim  of  the  Washoe  Valley,  in 
the  gorge  above  alluded  to.  Soon  after 
leaving  the  station,  we  pass  into  a  tunnel, 
through  a  projecting  cliflf,  which  shoots 
out  from  the  right,  and  comes  out  on  the 
side  of  the  mountain  overlooking  the 
beautiful  Eagle  or  Carson  Valley.  Away 
in  the  distance,  four  miles  away,  can  be 
seen  Carson  City,  a  little  further,  Carson 
River,  and  beyond  both,  the  mountains, 
just  beyond  which  is  Walker's  River,  and 
then  Walker's  Lake. 

Winding  and  descending  around  the 
side  of  the  mountain,  through  numerous 
rocky  cuts,  a  distance  of  4.6  miles  from 
Lake  View,  we  arrive  at 

Carson  City — the  capital  of  the  State 
of  Nevada.  It  is  situated  in  Eagle  Valley, 
on  the  Carson  River,  at  the  foot  of  the 
eastern  base  of  the  Sierras,  and  contains 
about  4,000  population;  is  31.1  miles  south 
from  Reno,  and  21.1  miles  southwest 
from  Virginia  City.  It  is  the  oldest  town 
in  the  State,  and  has  a  good  many  fine 
private  and  public  buildings.  The  town  is 
ta  stefully  decorated  with  shade  trees,  and  has 
an  abundance  of  good  water.  The  United 
States  Branch  Mint  of  Nevada  is  located 
here.  The  capital  is  located  in  the  center 
of  a  Plaza,  and  is  surrounded  by  an  iron 
fence.  It  is  two  stoiy  and  basement,  made 
of  cut  stone. 

Carson  is  a  busy  city,  has  some  good 
blocks  of  buildings,  several  good  hotels, 
chief  of  which  is  the  Ormsby;  four 
churches,  five  schools,  two  daily  newspa- 
pers— the  Morning  Appeal  and  the  Nevada 
Tribune.  Here  are  located  the  machine 
shops  of  the  Railroad  Company,  and  several 
manufactories.  Carson  City  is  in  the  center 
of  the  best  farming  land  on  Carson  River, 
and  the  best  in  this  part  of  the  State,  and  is 
the  distributing  point  for  a  vast  amount  of 
freight,  destined  for  the  southern  mines. 

.  To  the  south  of  the  city,  comes  down  the 
large  "V"  flume  from  the  Sierras,  via. 
Clear  Creek  Canyon,  owned  by  the 
Railroad  Company  through  which  thou 
sands  of  cords  of  wood  and  millions 
of  feet  of  lumber  are  landed  at  Carson 
weekly.  Four  and  six  horse  coaches 
leave  Carson  daily,  carrying  passengers, 
mails  and  express.  From  Carson  to 
Monitor,  the  distance  is  46  miles,  and  to 
Silver  Mountain,  in  Alpine  county,  Cal., 
64  miles ;  to  Bishop's  Creek,  192  miles ; 
10 


Benton,  150  miles  in  Mono  ccmty,  Cal., 
Sweetwater,  73  miles,  Aurora,  105  miles, 
Bodie,  119  miles,  Mariette,  145  miles.  Bell, 
ville,  155  miles,  Candelaria,  165  mihs, 
Columbus,  173  miles  and  Silver  Peak,  228 
miles  in  Esmeralda  county,  Nevada, — To 
Independence,  is  234  miles ;  Lone  Pine,  252 
miles,  and  Cerro  Gordo,  274  miles,  in  Inyo 
county,  Cal.  The  fare  to  these  places 
averages  about  15  cents  per  mile.  A  sta^e 
also  runs  to  Genoa  and  Markle ville,  and  in 
the  summer  to  Lake  Tahoe,  at  Glenbrook, 
15  miles.  This  line  connects  at  Tahoe  City, 
with  stages  for  Truckee,  the  Summit,  and 
also  with  the  new  line  over  the  mountains 
to  the  Calavaras  Grove.  Leaving  Carson, 
our  course  is  to  the  northeast,  across  a 
broad  bottom.  To  the  right,  about  two 
miles  distant,  beside  a  round  butte,  is  a 
large  building— a  huge  boarding-house — 
conducted  by  the  State.  The  guests  are 
numerous,  and  are  not  inmates  of  their  own 
free  will,  but  by  due  course  of  law,  and 
when  the  law  is  satisfied,  it  is  hoped  they 
will  leave  this  States  Prison  and  become 
better  citizens. 

Near  the  prison  are  the  Carson  Warpi 
Springs,  where  are  ample  accommodations 
for  bathing. 

Lookout — is  the  first  station  from  Car- 
son, 1.1  miles  distant,  but  our  cars  lookout 
not  to  stop,  and  1.3  miles  further,  brings 

Empire — This  is  a  town  of  about  1,000 
population,  situated  on  the  north  bank  of 
Carson  River.  Here  are  located  the  big 
Spanish  or  Mexican  mill,  on  the  right,  then 
the  Morgan  or  Yellow  Jacket  mill,  and 
then  the  Empire.  Passing  on,  down  the 
bank  of  the  Carson,  we  curve  around  the 
point  of  a  bluff,  pass  the  Brunswick  mill  on 
the  left,  near  the  station  of  the  same  name, 
1.3  miles  from  Empire.  Soon  the  valley  is 
crowded  out,  and  we  enter  a  canyon,  with 
the  river  to  our  right,  just  below,  as  we  are 
now  climbing  up  a  heavy  grade.  To  our 
tight,  but  far  below,  is  the  Vivian,  and  the 
Merrimac  mills,  nearly  one  mile  from  the 
Brunswick.  Continuing'  on  up,  still  up- 
ward, we  come  to  the  Santiago  mill,  1.8 
miles  further.  This  mill  is  situated  about 
500  feet  below  the  road,  on  the  right,  and 
almost  under  it.  Shutes  run  from  the  track 
above  to  the  mill  below,  for  dumping  ore 
or  coal.  The  road  is  now  far  up  on  the  side 
of  the  mountain,  much  of  the  way  blasted 
out  from  the  solid  rock,  and  very  crooked. 
The  canyon  on  the  Carson  River  is  far 
below,  on  the  right,  and  soon  will  be  lost 
to  view. 


148 


ckofutt's  new  overland  tourist 


Eureka— is  half  a  mile  from  Santi- 
ago,with  a  narrow-gauge  track  on  our 
right,  away  down  the  river.  Near  the 
track  on  the  right,  is  the  dump-shute 
of  the  Eureka  mill.  Ascending  rapid- 
ly and  tortuously  it  is  two  miles  to 

Mound   House.— Here  connections 
are  made  with  the 
Carison  &  Colorado  Railroad. 
General  Office,  Carson. 

H.  M.  Yebington PresirJent  and  Gen'l  Supt. 

J).  A.  Bendeb Qen'lF.  &  P.  Agent. 

This  railroad— a  three -f opt  narrow 
gauge — was  completed  and  opened  for 
business  April  18, 1881,  to  Hawthorne, 
a  distance  of  100  miles  from  Mound 
House,and  trains  run  regularly  in  con- 
nection with  the  V.  &  T.  R.  R.  Stages 
leave  Hawthorne  daily  for:  Aurora,  26 
miles ;Bodie,  37  miles;  Candelaria,  50 
miles;  Columbus,  55,  miles;  and  con- 
necting for  Belmont,  Silver  Peak, 
Montezuma,  Gold  Mountain,  Benton 
and  Independence. 

SuTRo  Tunnel. — This  tunnel  is  one 
of  the  most  important  enterprises  ev- 
er inaugurated  in  mining  operations 
in  this  or  any  other  country.  The  ob- 
ject sought  is.  ventilation,  drainage, 
and  a  cheap  means  of  working  the 
mines,  or  bringing  the  ores  to  the  sur- 
face. The  tunnel  commences  in  the 
valley  of  the  Carson  River;  is  14  feet 
wide  at  the  bottom,  13  feet  at  the  top, 
and  10  feet  high. 

The  main  tunnel  is  20,018  feet  in 
length,  and  the  cross  tunnels  will  be 
about  12,000  feet  more.  The  tunnel 
strikes  the  Comstock  ledge  at  a  depth 
2,000  feet  below  the  point  of  the  crop- 
pings.  The  work  of  extending  the  cross 
tunnels  is  being  pushed  ahead  vigor- 
ously. Distance  from  Mound  House 
to  Sutro,  five  miles. 

Near  Mound  House  is  a  gypsum 
mine  of  good  quality,  large  amounts 
ofwhich  are  shippedto  San  Francisco. 
A  track  branches  off  near  the  station, 
to  the  right,  for  Silver  City,  situated 
about  two  miles  to  the  eastward",  in  a 
narrow  caiion,  in  plain  view,  where 
are  located  a  number  of  quartz  mills. 

Silver  —  is  the  next  station,  3.3 
miles  from  Mound  House.  Here  ore 
is  dumped  down  a  shute  to  the  right, 
and  taken  to  the  mills  below.  The 
best  view  of  Silver  City— a  place  of 
1,000  population,  all  of  whom  are  en- 
gaged in  mining,  having  one  news- 


paper, the  Reporter— can  now  be  had  on 
the  right ;  curving  around  to  the  left,  we 
come  to  the  American  Flat  tunnel,  900  feet 
long.  It  was  at  this  tunnel  where  a  thrill- 
ing incident  occurred,  October  17,  1872. 
(See  Annex  No.  34.)  The  fire  alluded  to 
in  the  annex  cost  the  Railroad  Company 
$500,000.  It  took  two  months  to  replace 
the  timbering,  during  which  time  all 
passengers,  freight,  mails  and  express,  had 
to  be  transferred  by  teams. 

Passing  through  the  tunnel,  Mt.  David- 
son  looms  up  directly  ahead,  7,827  feet 
above  sea-level ;  to  the  right  is  Gold  Hill — 
far  away,  in  a  narrow  canyon.  The  train 
runs  around  the  side  of  the  mountain,  de- 
scribing a  great  curve  to  the  north  and 
eastward,  passing  numerous  mills,  among 
which  are  the  Rock  Island,  down  on  the 
right;  the  Baltimore,  a  track  to  the  Over- 
man, the  Knickerbocker,  Belcher,  Baltic, 
and  many  other  mills,  both  on  the  right 
and  left,  and  finally  cross  over  a  huge  mill, 
and  one  of  the  principal  streets  of  the  city 
of  Gold  Hill,  which  extends  to  the  left  up 
a  narrow  canyon,  and  stops  at  the  depot  in 
the  city  of 

Gold  Hill — This  is  a  flourishing  min- 
ing  city,  19  miles  from  Carson  aad  two 
from  Virginia;  population,  6,000.  It  con- 
siits  mostly  of  one  main  street,  built  along 
a  steep  ravine.  The  city  has  some  good 
buildings,  among  which  are  one  good 
horel, the  Vesey House ;  and onedaily  news- 
paper, the  Gold  Hill  News.  The  city  is  sur- 
rounded with  mills  of  all  sorts,  sizes  and 
kinds,  and  all  is  noise  and  business  night 
and  day.  The  street  between  Gold  Hill 
and  Virginia  is  so  generally  built  up  that 
one  cannot  tell  where  the  dividing  line  is 
between  them.  An  omnibus  line  plies  be- 
tween the  two  cities,  running  every  fifteen 
minutes. 

Pas-ing  on  from  Gold  Hill  two  miles, 
around  sharp  curves,  through  three  sliort 
tunnels  in  quick  successirm,  with  mills  to 
the  right,  mills  to  the  left,  and  mills  all 
around  us,  we  arrive  at 

Virginia  City — This  city  is  on  the 
southeastern  slope  of  Mt.  Davidson,  at  an 
elevation  of  6,200  feet,  with  the  mountain 
rising  1,627  feet  above  it.  The  city  is  built 
along  the  side  f  f  the  mountain— one  main 
street,  with  numerous  steep  cross-streets — 
and  contains  some  very  fine  business  blocks. 
Virginia  is  21  miles  from  Carson,  and  52 
miles  by  rail,  from  Reno,  and  contains  a 
population  of  about  16,000,  a  great  propor- 
tion of  whom  are  engaged  in  mining  op- 


crofutt's  new  ovekland  tourist 


149 


erations  immediately  under  the  city^  from 
1,500  to  2,200  feet. 

The  Enterprise  and  tlie  Chronicle — both 
daily  and  weekly  papers — are  published 
here. 

The  religious  and  educational  interests 
are  well  represented  by  churches  and 
schools. 

There  are  a  number  of  hotels  in  the  city, 
at  which  the  traveler  will  find  good  ac- 
commodations. The  International,  is 
the  principal  one. 

At  both  Virginia  and  Gold  Hill,  are 
located  great  numbers  of  smelling  furnaces, 
reduction  works  and  stamp  mills,  all  thun- 
dering away,  night  and  day.  The  fires 
from  these  works,  at  night,  light  up  with  a 
lurid  glare  all  surroundmg  objects.  There 
are  no  two  cities  in  the  world  moreccs- 
mopolitan;  here,  meet  and  jostle,  the  peo- 
ple from  every  land  and  clime;  the  rich 
and  the  poor ;  the  miser  and  the  spend- 
thrift; the  morose  and  jolly.  /S*:// here 
predominates.  "Rich  to-day,  poor  to- 
morrow," is  the  rule.  All  gamble  in  min- 
ing stocks,  from  the  boot-black  or  servant 
girl  to  the  Rev.  JSIr.  Whitetie,  or  the  Bo- 
nanza-Nabob. The  wLole  people  are  alive 
to  each  movement  of  the  "  stock  indica- 
tors," as  much  as  the  "  Snowballs  "  were 
in  Baltimore  twenty-five  years  ago  on  the 
lottery  and  policy  business;  4-11-41  "waj 
their  god;  the  tick  of  the  "indicator"  is 
the  god  of  this  people.  The  saying  that 
"  It  is  not  birth,  nor  wealth,  nor  State— its 
git  up  and  git  that  makes  men  great,"  has 
been  thoroughly  demonstrated  by  many  ot 
the  citizens  of  Virginia  City  and  Gold  Hill. 

Early  History— The  first  gold  mines 
were  discovered  in  1857,  by  Joe  Kirby,  and 
some  others,  who  commenced  mining  in 
Gold  _  Canyon  (Gold  Hill),  and  continued 
working  the  place  with  indifferent  success 
until  lb59.  The  first  quartz  claim  was  lo- 
cated by  James  JTinney,  better  known  as 
"  Old  Virginia,"  on  the  22d  of  February, 
1858,  in  the  Virginia  minir.g  district  and 
on  the  "Virginia  Croppings."  The  old 
prospector  gave  his  name  to  the  city,  crop- 
pings and  district.  In  June,  1859,  rich  de- 
posits of  silver  ore  were  discovered  by 
Peter  O'Reilly  and  Patrick  McLaughlin, 
on  what  is  now  the  ground  of  the  Ophir 
Mining  Company.  They  were  engaged  in 
gold  washing,  and  uncovered  a  rich  vein 
of  sulphuret  of  silver,  when  engaged  in 
excavating  a  place  wherein  to  catch  a  sup- 
ply of  water  for  their  rockers.  The  dis- 
covery was  made  on  ground  claimed  by 


Kirby  and  others.  A  Mr.  Comstock  was 
employed  to  purchase  the  claims  of  Kirby 
and  those  holding  with  him,  hence,  Com- 
stock's  name  was  given  to  the  lode. 

The  Comstock  Lode — is  about  four 
miles  in  length,  the  out-croppings  extend- 
ing in  a  broad  belt  along  the  mountain 
side.  It  extends  under  Virginia  City  and 
Gold  Hill;  the  ground  on  which  these 
cities  are  built  bemg  all  "  honey-combed  " 
or  undermined ;  in  fact,  the  whole  moun- 
tain is  a  series  of  shafts,  tunnels  and  cav- 
erns from  which  the  ore  has  been  taken. 
The  vein  is  broken  and  irregular  at  inter- 
vals along  its  length  as  far  as  traced,  owing 
to  the  formation  of  the  mountain.  It  is 
also  v.ery  irregular  in  thickness.  In  some 
places  the  fissure  ranges  from  30  to  as  high 
as  200  feet  in  width,  while  at  other  points 
the  walls  come  close  together.  The  great- 
est variation  in  width  occurs  at  a  depth  of 
from  400  to  600  feet  from  the  surface.  The 
principal  silver  ores  of  this  lode  are  steph- 
anite,  vitreous  silver  ore,  native  silver  and 
very  rich  galena.  Pyrargyrite,  or  ruby 
silver,  horn  silver  and  polybasite,  are 
found  in  small  quantities,  together  with 
iron  and  copper  pyrites,  zinc-blende,  car- 
bonate of  lead,  pyromorphite  and  native 
gold. 

The  number  of  mills  in  and  around  Gold 
Hill  and  Virginia,  and  at  other  points, 
which  work  on  ore  from  this  lo<le,  is  be- 
tween 75  and  80.  They  are  scattered  around 
through  several  counties,  including  Storey 
(where  the  lode  lies),  Lyon,  "Washoe  and 
Ormsby,  from  30  to  40  in  number  being  in 
Storey  county.  The  product  of  the  Com- 
stock lode  has  been  beyond  that  of  any 
silver  vein  of  which  we  have  any  record ; 
furnishing  the  largest  portion  of  bullion 
produced  on  the  Pacific  Slope. 

But  let  us  return  to  Reno  before  we 
get  to  watching  the  "indicator:"  and 
start  once  more  for  the  West. 

Leaving  Reno,  our  course  is  south  of 
west,  up  Truckee  River.   The  hills  are 


Note.— stop  over  Privi:e8:e8.  Passen- 
gers traveling  on  unlimited  First- Class  Tickets, 
who  are  desirous  of  securing  a  full  daylight 
view  of  the  ivonderful  scenery  on  the  Sierra 
Nevada  Mountains,  can  now  do  so.  The  "Pacific 
Express"  arrives  at  Keno  [see  page  144]  ^or  sup- 
per, at  8  .'20  p.  m.  Passengers  can  stop  over 
night  at  the  hotel,  and  take  the  "Keno  &  San 
Francisco  Express"  next  morning,  [Sundays  ex- 
cepted] at  6:15;  reach  Truckee  at  8: 10;  Sum- 
mit, 9  -.00 ;  Cape  Horn,  11 :20 ;  Sacramento,  2  :10 
p.  m. ;  Benicia,  4  :55,  and  San  Francisco  at  7  ;05 
p.  m.  Only  736  hours  later  than  the  regular 
1  Pacific  Express. 


150 


PACIFIC   COAST   GUIDE. 


loftier,  and  were — at  the  time  the  railroad 
was  built — covered  with  dense  pine  for- 
ests ;  now,  only  stumps  and  rocks  appear, 
with  very  little  undergrowth.  As  we  enter 
the  Truckee  Canyon,  we  seem  to  have  en- 
tered a  cooler,  pleasanter,  and  more  invig- 
orating atmosphere.  The  aroma  of  the 
spruce  and  pine,  which  comes  with  the 
mountain  breeze,  is  pleasant  when  com- 
pared with  that  of  the  alkali  plains. 
-  Verdi — is  the  first  station  from  Reno, 
10.48  miles.  Passing  on,  up,  1.23  miles 
brings  us  to  a  new  side-track  station  called 

Essex  —  which  we  pass;  continuing 
along  the  river,  with  its  foaming  current 
now  on  our  left,  first  on  one  side,  then  on 
the  other,  runs  this  beautiful  stream  until 
we  lose  sight  of  it  altogether.  The  road 
crosses  and  re-crosses  it  on  fine  Howe  truss 
bridges,  running  as  straight  as  the  course 
of  the  mountains  will  permit.  The  moun- 
tains  tower  up  on  either  hand,  in  places 
sloping  and  covered  in  places  with  timber 
from  base  to  summit,  in  others  precipitous, 
and  covered  with  masses  of  black,  broken 
rock.  'Tis  a  rough  country,  the  canyon  of 
the  Truckee,  possessing  many  grand  and 
imposing  features. 

On  the  road  up  we  pass  a  new  station 
called 

Mystic— 5.11  miles  from  Essex,  and 
four  iniles  further 

Bronco  —  another  side-track.  Occa- 
sional strips  of  meadow  land  are  seen 
close  to  the  river's  edge,  but  too  small  and 
rocky  to  be  of  any  use,  only  as  grazing 
land.  Now  we  cross  the  dividing  line,  and 
shout 


mm 


as  we  enter  California,  a  few  miles  east  of 
Boca — a  small  station  5.7  miles  from 
Bronco.  The  lumber  interest  is  well  rep- 
resented here,  huge  piles  of  ties,  boards 
and  timber  lining  the  roadside.  The  river 
seems  to  be  the  means  of  transportation  for 
the  saw  logs,  immense  numbers  of  them 
being  scattered  up  and  down  the  stream, 


with  here  and  there  a  party  of  lumbermen 
working  them  down  to  the  mills.  A  great 
quantity  of  ice  is  cut  and  housed  here, 
and  an  extensive  beer  brewery  erected. 

The  Truckee  River,  from  Reno  to  its 
mountain  source,  is  a  very  rapid  stream, 
and  affords  dam-sites  and  mill-sites  innu- 
merable; yet,  it  is  related  that  some  years 
ago,  before  the  completion  of  the  Pacific 
railroad,  a  certain  Indian  agent,  who  is 
now  an  Ex-U.  S.  Senator,  charged  up  to 
the  Government  an  "  item  "  of  $40,000,  as 
being  the  purchase-money  for  a  mill-site 
on  the  Truckee,  near  a  dam  site. 

Some  hungry  aspirant  for  official  posi- 
tion, who  had  a  hankering  after  the  "loaves 
and  fishes,"  exposed  the  "item,"  and  a 
committee  was  sent  out  from  Washington 
to  investigate  the  matter.  This  committee, 
went  out  by  "  Overland  Stage,"  had  a  ^ood 
time,  traversed  the  country  in  every  direc- 
tion, explored  the  river  thoroughly,  from 
the  Desert  to  Lake  Tahoe,  and  reported 
that  they  could  find  numberless  dam-sites 
by  mill-sites,  but  could  not  find  a  mill  by 
a  dam-site. 
From  Boca  it  is  1.57  miles  to 
Prosser  Creek— Here  is  a  long  "V" 
flume  for  the  accommodation  of  the  lum- 
bermen, and  where  large  quantities  of  ice 
is  cut  and  stored  for  market.  Another  run 
of  4.1  miles  and  the  train  passes 

Proctors — and  3.76  miles  more  and 
our  train  comes  to  the  end  of  the  Truckee 
division,  at  Truckee  City. 

Truckee  City— This  place  is  situ- 
ated on  the  north  bank  of  the  Truckee 
River,  in  the  midst  of  what  was  once  a 
heavily  timbered  region,  much  of  which 
has  been  cut  off.  The  principal  business 
of  the  place  is  lumbering,  though  an  ex- 
tensive freighting  business  is  carried  on 
with  other  points  in  the  mountains.  One 
can  hardly  get  around  the  town  for  the 
piles  of  lumber,  ties  and  wood,  which 
cover  the  ground  in  every  direction.  Some 
fine  stores  and  a  good  hotel  are  the  only 
buildings  which  can  lay  claim  to  size  and 
finish  corresponding  with  the  growth  and 
business  of  the  place.  The  town  is  com- 
posed of  wooden  buildings,  mostly  on  the 
north  side  of  the  railroad. 

The  very  sharp  roofs  of  the  buildings 
point  out  the  fact  that  the  snow  falls  deep 
and  moist  here,  sufficiently  so  to  crush  in 
the  roofs — unless  they  are  very  sharp  and 
strong.  The  town  contains  about  2,000  in- 
habitants, nearly  all  of  whom  are  directly 


AND  PACIFIC   COAST  GUIDE. 


151 


or  indirectly  con- 
nected with  the 
lumber  trade. 

The  educational 
interests  have 
been  provided  for, 
Nevada  county,  in 
which  Truckee 
City  is  situated,be- 
ing  justly  celebra- 
ted for  her  public 
schools. 

The  Truckee 
House  is  the  head- 
quarters of  the 
tourists  who  stop 
over  to  visit  ob- 
jects of  interest  in 
this  locality.  This 
station  is  the  end 
of  the  Truckee  and 
the  commence- 
ment of  the  Sacra- 
mento division. 

The  company 
have  a  2  4  - s  t  a 1 1 
round-house  and 
the  usual  machine 
and  repair  shops 
of  a  division  loca- 
ted here. 

A  line  of  stages  leaves  Truckee  dai- 
ly for  Donner  Lake,  two  miles ;  Lake 
Tahoe,  12  miles;  Sierraville,  30  miles. 
A  good  wagon-road  connects  Sierra 
City  with  Truckee,  via  the  Henness 
Pass  and  Donner  Lake. 

Freight  is  reshipped  here  for  Don- 
ner and  Tahoe  Lakes,  Sierraville  and 
the  various  towns  in  the  Sierra  Val- 
ley.   There  are  some  wholesale  and 


OVERLAND 


PONT  EXTHESs—See  Footuote.  A 

retail  houses  in  Truckee,  which  do  a' 
large  business.  j 

Lake  Tahoe,  or  Bigler,  as  it  is  call- 
ed on  some  of  the  officialmaps,  is  lo- 
cated 12  miles  south  of  Truckee.  Ta- 
hoe is  an  Indian  name,  signifying 
"big  water,"  and  is  pronounced  by 
the  Indians  "  Tah-oo,"  while  the 
"  pale-faces  "  pronounce  it  "Ta-hoe." 
From  Truckee   a  splendid  road  af-' 


ISTo.  41  Annex.  The  Pony  Express— was 
an  enterprise  started. in  1860,  by  Majors,  Rus- 
sell &  Co.,  of  Leavenworth,  Kan,,  to  meet  the 
pressing  business  wants  of  the  Pacific  Coast.  It 
will  be  remembered  that  the  usual  time  made  on 
the  mail  service,  by  steamer,  between  New  York 
and  San  Francisco,  was  about  twenty-six  days. 
The  first  Overland  mail— which  arrived  in  San 
Francisco  Oct.  10th,  1858 — carried  it  from  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  via  Los  Angeles,  in  twenty-three  days, 
twenty-one  hours.  The  Vony  J^xpress— which 
left  St. .Joseph,  Mo.,  and  San  Francisco,  simul- 
taneously, April  3d,  1860— succeeded  in  trans- 
porting it  through  safely,  on  its  first  trip,  in  ten 
days  ;  on  its  second,  in  14  days  ;  third,  nine  days  ; 
fourth,  ten  days ;  fifth  nine  days ;  sixth,  nine 
days ;— a  distance  of  1,996  miles.  This  rapid 
transmissioLi  of  business  correspondence  was  of 
incalculable  value  to  business  men  in  those  days. 

This  service,  we  can  readily  see,  required  cour- 
age and  endurance,  as  well  as  enterprise  and  the 
expenditure  of  large  sums  of  money.    The  mo- 


ment the  ferry  boat  touched  land  on  the  opposite 
shore,  the  Pony  Expressman  mounted  his  horse; 
and  by  day  or  by  night,  in  starlight  or  darkness ; 
whether  sun-dried  or  soaked,  snow-covered  or 
frozen ;  among  friends  or  through  foes ;  be  he 
lonely  or  merry — onward  he  hastenth,  until,  at 
the  thrice-welcomed  station,  he  leaped  from  his 
saddle  to  rest.  Here  another  was  ready,  whose 
horse,  like  himself,  had  been  waiting,  perhaps, 
without  shelter ;  and  with  a  cheery  "Good-night, 
boys,"  he  galloped  off,  and  was  soon  lost  in  the 
distance.  He  rides  on  alone,  over  prairies  and 
mountains  ;  whether  up  hiU  or  down  ;  on  rough 
ground  or  smooth,  until  he  descries  in  the  dis- 
tance the  goal  of  his  hopes,  and  the  station  is 
reached.  To  teU  of  the  losses  in  men  from  the  In- 
dians,and  of  horses  and  other  property,  both 
from  volunteers  as  well  as  Indians,  with  the 
many  thrilling  adventures  of  those  who  partici- 
pated in  this  daring  enterprise,  however  in-, 
teresting,  would  make  too  long  a  recital  tox  these 
pages. 


152 


PACIFIC   COAST   GUIDE. 


FIRST  WELLS,  FARGO  &  CO.  S  EXPRESS  OVER  THE  MOUNTAINS. 


fords  one  of  the  best  and  most  pleasant 
drives  to  be  found  in  the  State.  The  road 
follows  the  river  bank,  under  the  shade  of 
waving  pines,  or  across  green  meadows 
until  It  reaches  Tahoe  City,  at  the  foot  of 
the  lake.  Here  are  excellent  accommoda- 
.4i«>ns  for  travelers — a  good  hotel,  boats,  and 
^  well-stocked  stable. 

According  to  the  survey  of  the  State  line, 
Lake  Tahoe  lies  in  two  States  and  five 
counties.  The  line  between  California  and 
Nevada  runs  north  and  south  through  the 
lake,  until  it  reaches  a  certain  point  therein, 
when  it  changes  to  a  course  17  degs.  east 
of  south.  Thus  the  counties  of  El  Dorado 
and  Placer,  in  California,  and  Washoe, 
Ormsby  and  Douglas,  in  Nevada,  all  share 
in  the  waters  of  the  Tahoe.  Where  the 
line  was  surveyed  through  the  lake  it  is 
1,700  feet  deep. 


There  are  three  steamboats  on  the  lake' 
but  only  one,  the  "Stanford,"  takes  ex- 
cursionists. The  trip  on  this  steamer  is 
very  fine,  but  for  our  personal  use,  not  the 
way  we  like  to  travel  for  sight-seeing,  at 
this,  the  loveliest  of  all  drives  in  the  world. 
Our  choice  is  a  good  saddle  animal,  or  a 
good  team  of  horses,  an  agreeable  com- 
panion, and  start  around  the  western  shore. 
Six  miles  from  Tahoe,  over  a  beautiful 
road,  we  reach  Sugar  Pine  Point,  a  spur  of 
mountains  covered  with  a  splendid  forest 
of  sugar  pine,  the  most  valuable  lumber, 
for  all  uses,  found  on  the  Pacific  coast. 
Tliere  are  fine  streams  running  into  the 
lake  on  each  side  of  the  point.  We  now 
arrive  at  Emerald  Bay,  a  beautiful,  placid 
inlet,  two  miles  long,  which  seems  to  hide 
itself  among  the  pine-clad  hills.  It  is  not 
over  400  yards  wide  at  its   mouth,   but 


CROPUTt's    NSW   OVERLAND   TOURIST 


153 


widens  to  two  miles  inland,  forming  one 
of  the  prettiest  land-locked  harbors  in  the 
world.  It  is  owned  by  Ben  Holiday.  At 
the  south  end  of  Tahoe,  near  the  site  of  the 
Old  Lake  House,  near  Tallac  Point,  Lake 
Valley  Creek  enters  the  lake,  having  wound 
among  the  hills  for  many  miles  since  it 
left  the  springs  and  snows  which  feed  it. 
The  valley  of  Lake  Creek  is  one  of  the 
loveliest  to  be  found  among  the  Sierras. 
The  whole  distance,  from  the  mountain 
slope  to  the  lake,  is  one  continual  series  of 
verdant  meadows,  dotted  with  milk 
ranches,  where  the  choicest  butter  and 
cheese  are  manufactured.  The  next  ob- 
ject of  interest  met  with  is  a  relic  of  the 
palmy  days  of  staging : 

Friday  Station,  an  old  stage  station, 
established  by  Burke  in  1859,  on  the  Placer- 
ville  and  Tahoe  stage  road.  Ten  miles 
further  on  we  come  to  the  Glenbrook  House 
a  favorite  resort  for  tourists.  Fr.ni  Glen- 
brook House  there  is  a  fine  road  to  Carson 
City,  between  which  ply  regular  stages. 
This  is  a  lovely  place,  and  a  business  place 
too,  as  a  half-dozen  saw  mills  are  located 
here,  which  turn  out  a  million  and  a  half 
feet  of  lumber  weekly. 

Four  miles  further  we  come  to 

The  Cave,  a  cavern  in  the  hillside  fully 
100  feet  above  and  overhanging  the  lake. 

Folloming  around  to  the  north  end  of  the 
lake,  ana  but  a  short  distance  away,  are  the 
celebrated  Hot  Springs,  lying  just  across 
the  State  line,  in  Nevada.  Near  them  is  a 
splendid  spring  of  clear,  cold  water,  totally 
devoid  of  miseral  taste.  The  next  object 
whickattracts  our  attention  is  Cornelian 
Bay,  a  beautiful  indeniure  in  the  coast, 
with  fine  gravel  bottom.  Thus  far  there 
has  been  scarcely  a  point  from  which  the 
descent  to  the  water's  edge  is  not  smooth 
and  easy. 

Passing  on  around  to  the  westside  we  re- 
turn to  Tahoe  City.  Around  the  lake  the 
land  is  generally  level,  for  some  distance 
back,  and  covered  with  pine,  fir  and  bal- 
sam timber,  embracing  at  least  300  sections 
of  as  fine  tmibered  land  as  the  State 
afi'ords.  It  is  easy  of  access  and  handy  to 
market,  the  logs  leing  rafted  down  the 
lake  to  the  Truckee,  and  thence  down  to 
any  point  on  the  railroad  above  Reno.  So 
much  for  the  gerteral  appearance  of  Lake 
Tahoe.  To  understand  its  beauties,  one 
must  go  there  and  spend  a  short  time. 
When  once  there,  sailing  on  the  beautiful 
lake,  gazing  far  down  its  shining,  pebbly 
bottom,  hooking  the  sparkling  trout  that 


make  the  pole  sway  and  bend  in  the  hand 
like  a  willow  wand,  few  will  have  a  desire 
to  hurry  away.  If  one  tires  of  the  line  and 
of  strolling  along  the  beach,  or  sailing  over 
the  lake,  a  tramp  into  the  hills  with  a  gun 
will  be  rewarded  by  the  sight  of  quail, 
grouse,  deer  and  possibly  a  bear. 

We  have  now  circled  the  lake  and  can 
judge  of  its  dimensions,  which  are  22 
miles  in  length  and  ten  in  width. 

While  on  a  recent  visit  to  San  Fran- 
Cisco,  we  learned,  on  good  authority,  that 
a  movement  was  on  foot,  ur^ed  by  several 
capitalists  in  that  city,  to  build  a  large 
hotel  at  Tallac  Point  during  the  year, from 
which  a  stage  line  will  convey  passengers 
over  the  High  Sierras,  via  Hope  Valley 
and  Blue  Lake,  to  the  Calavera  Big 
Trees;  distance  65  miles;  fare,  about  $20. 
This  would  certainly  be  a  lovely  trip, 
passing  as  it  does,  through  the  grandest 
of  the  High  Sierra  range,  and  to  the  noted 
Blue  Lake,  so  long  talked  about  as  the 
great  reservoir  from  which  the  City  of  San 
Francisco  is  to  be  supplied  with  water  in 
the  future.  For  scenery,  variety  of  game, 
trout,  etc.,  this  route  will  be  found  very 
attractive. 

We  will  now  return  to  Truckee. 

DoNNER  Lake— a  lovely  little  lakelet, 
the  "Gem  of  the  Sierras,"  lies  two  and  a 
half  miles  northwest  of  Truckee.  It  is 
about  three  and  a  half  miles  long,  with  an 
average  width  of  one  mile,  and  at  the  deep- 
est point  sounded,  is  about  200  feet.  This 
and  Lake  Tahoe  are,  by  some,  thought  to 
be  the  craters  of  old  volcanoes,  the  moun- 
tains around  them  presenting  unmistak- 
able evidences  of  volcanic  formation.  The 
waters  of  both  lakes  are  cold  and  clear  as 
crystal,  the  bottom  showing  every  pebble 
with  great  distinctness  under  water  50  feet 
deep.  It  is  surrounded  on  three  sides  by 
towering  mountains,  covered  with  a  heavy 
growth  of  fir,  spruce  and  pine  trees  of  im- 
mense size.  Were  it  not  for  the  occasional 
rattling  of  the  cars,  away  up  the  mountain 
side,  as  they  toil  upward  to  the  "  Summit," 
and  the  few  cabins  scattered  here  and  there 
along  the  shore,  one  would  fancy  that  he 
was  in  one  of  nature's  secret  retreats,  where 
man  had  never  ventured  before.  A  small 
stream,  which  tumbles  down  the  mountain 
side,  winds  its  way  through  the  dense 
wood,  and  empties  its  ice-cold  flood  in  the 
upper  end  or  head  of  the  lake,  which  rests 
against  the  foot  of  "  Summit "  Mountain. 
From  the  Lake  House,  situated  as  it  is  on 
a  low,  gravelly  flat,  shaded  by  giant  pines, 


154 


PACIFIC    COAST   GUIDE. 


a  very  fine  view  of  the  railroad  can  be  ob- 
tained. Within  sight  are  four  tunnels  and 
several  miles  of  snow-sheds,  while  behind 
and  seemingly  overhanging  the  road,  the 
mountains  —  bald,  bleak,  bare,  massive 
piles  of  granite — tower  far  above  their 
precipitous  sides,  seeming  to  bid  defiance 
to  the  ravages  of  time.  A  fine  road  has 
been  gradea  along  the  right-hand  shore, 
from  the  station,  forming  a  splendid  drive. 
The  "  old  emigrant  road  "  skirts  the  foot  of 
the  lake  (where  the  Donner  party  per- 
ished, see  Annex  No.  33),  and  following  up 
the  stage  road,  climbs  the  "  Summit  "just 
beyond  the  long  tunnel.  Originally,  it 
struck  the  Divide  at  Summit  Valley ;  from 
thence  it  followed  the  valley  down  for 
several  miles,  then  struck  across  the  crest- 
spur,  and  followed  the  Divide  down  from 
Emigrant  Gap. 

The  business  of  lumbering  is  carried  on 
quite  extensively  at  the  lower  end  of  the 
lake.  The  logs  are  slid  down  the  moun- 
tain sides  in  "shoots,"  or  troughs  made 
of  large  trees,  into  the  lake,  and  then  rafted 
down  to  the  mill.  On  the  west  side  of  the 
lake  the  timber  has  not  been  disturbed,  but 
sweeps  down  from  the  railroad  to  the 
water's  edge  in  one  dense  unbroken  forest. 
The  lower  end  of  the  lake  is  bordered  with 
green  meadows,  covering  an  extent  of 
several  hundred  acres  of  fine  grazing  land. 

From  the  foot  of  the  lake  issues  a 
beautiful  creek,  which,  after  uniting  with 
Coldstream,  forms  the  Little  Truckee 
Kiver. 

Coldstream — is  a  clear,  cold  mountain 
stream,  about  fifteen  miles  long.  It  rises 
in  the  "Summit"  Mountain,  opposite 
Summit  Valley.  Some  excellent  grazing 
land  borders  the  creek  after  it  leaves  the 
mountain  gorge. 

Fishing  and  Hunting— In  Donner  and 
Tahoe  lakes  is  found  the  silver  trout, 
which  attains  the  weight  of  20  pounds. 
There  are  many  varieties  of  fish  in  these 
lakes,but  this  is  most  prized  and  most  sought 
after  by  the  angler.  It  is  rare  sport  to 
bring  to  the  water's  edge  one  of  these 
sleek-hided,  sharp-biting  fellows — to  handle 
him  delicately  and  daintily  until  he  is  safely 
landed;  and  then,  when  fried,  baked,  or 
broiled  brown,  the  employment  of  the  jaws 
to  masticate  the  crisp,  juicy  morsels — it's 
not  bad  jawing.  The  water  near  the  lake 
shore  is  fairly  alive  with  white  fish,  dace, 
rock-fish,  and  several  other  varieties — the 
trout  keeping  in  deeper  water.  There  is 
no  more  favorite  resort  for  the  angler  and 


hunter  than  these  lakes  and  the  surround- 
ing mountains,  where  quail,  grouse,  deer, 
and  bear  abound. 

These  lakes  were  once  a  favorite  resort 
for  the  "San  Francisco  schoolmarms," 
who  annually  visit  thi  \  locality  during  the 
summer  vacation.  The  Railroad  Company 
generally  passed  them  over  the  route,  and 
they  had  a  happ^  week — romping,  scram- 
bling and  wandering  over  the  mountains, 
and  along  the  lake  shore,  giving  new  life 
and  animation  to  the  scene.  The  gray  old 
hills  and  mighty  forests  re-echo  with  their 
merry  laughter,  as  they  stroll  around  the 
lake,  gathering  flowers  and  mosses,  or,  per- 
haps, essaying  their  skill  as  anglers,  to 
the  great  slaughter  of  the  finny  inhabitants 
of  the  lake. 

Sierra  Valley — lies  about  30  miles 
from  Truckee  City,  among  the  Sierras,  It 
is  about  40  miles  long,  with  a  width  of 
from  five  to  seven  miles.  It  is  fertile, 
thickly  settled,  and  taken  in  connection 
with  some  other  mountain  valleys,  might 
be  termed  the  Orange  county  of  California 
— from  the  quantity  and  quality  of  butter 
and  cheese  manufactured  there.  In  the 
mountain  valleys  and  on  the  table-lands 
the  best  butter*  and  cheese  found  in  the 
State  are  manufactured— the  low  valleys 
being  too  warm,  and  the  grasses  and  water 
not  so  good  as  found  here.  In  Sierra,  and 
many  other  mountain  valleys,  good  crops 
of  grain  and  vegetables  are  grown  in 
favorable  seasons,  but  the  surest  and  most 
profitable  business  is  dairying.  The 
flourishing  town  of  Royalton  is  situated  in 
this  valle3\ 

Honey  Lake — an  almost  circular  sheet 
of  M-ater,  about  ten  miles  in  diameter,  lies 
about  50  miles  north  of  Truckee  City. 
Willow  Creek  and  Susan  Creek  enter  it  at 
the  north,  while  Lone  Valley  Creek 
empties  its  waters  into  the  southern  por- 
tion of  the  lake.  Some  fine  meadow  and 
grazing  land  is  found  in  the  valleys 
bordering  these  streams,  which  has  been 
occupied  by  settlers,  and  converted  into 
flourishing  farms. 

Susanville,  the  principal  town  in  the 
valley,  is  situated  north  cf  the  lake.  It  is 
connected  by  stage  with  Reno,  Nevada, 
and  Oroville,  California. 

We  now  take  leave  of  Truckee  City  and 
its  surroundings,  and  prepare  to  cross  the 
"Summit  of  the  Sierras,"  14  miles  dis- 
tant. With  two  locomotives  leading,  we 
cross  the  North  Fork  or  Little  Truckee  on 
a  single-span  Howe  truss  bridge,  and  make 


ckofutt's  new  ovekland  tourist 


155 


directly  across  the  broken  land  bordering 
the  lake  meadows,  for  the  foot  of  the 
Sierras.  Then  skirting  along  the  hill-side, 
through  long  snow  sheds,  with  the  spark- 
ling Coldstream  on  our  right,  winding 
through  the  grassey  valley  and  among 
waving  pines,  for  6.53  miles,  we  pass 

IStrong's  Canyon — and  bend, 
around  the  southern  end  of  the  valley, 
which  borders  Donner  Lake,  then  crossing 
Coldstream,  commence  the  ascent  of  the 
mountains.  Soon  after  passing  this  side- 
track, our  train  enters  a  snow-shed, 
which — with  a  number  of  tunnels,— is 
continuous  for  twenty-eight  mile-i,  with  but 
a  few  "  peek-holes,"  through  which  to  get 
a  glimpse  at  the  beautiful  scenery  along 
this  part  of  the  route — yet,  we  shall  de- 
scribe it,  all  the  s:  me.  As  the  train  skirts 
the  eastern  base,  rising  higher  and  higher, 
Donner  Lake  is  far  below,  looking  like  a 
lake  of  silver  set  in  the  shadows  of  green 
forests  and  brown  mountains.  Up  still, 
the  long,  black  line  of  the  road  bending 
around  and  seemingly  stealing  away  in  the 
same  direction  in  which  we  are  moving, 
though  far  below  us,  points  out  the  wind- 
ing course  we  have  followed. 

Up,  still  up,  higher  and  higher  toils  the 
train,  through  the  long  line  of  snow-sheds 
leading  to  the  first  tunnel,  wiiile  the  loco- 
motives are  snorting  an  angry  defiance  as 
they  enter  the  gloomy,  rock-bound  chamber. 
Summit — is  14.31  miles  wtst  of 
Truckee,  the  highest  point  on  the  Sierra 
Nevada  Mountains,  passed  over  by  the 
Central  Pacific  railroad,  7,017  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  sea.  Distance  from  Omaha, 
1,669  miles ;  from  San  Francisco,  245  miles. 
This  is  not  the  highest  land  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada  Mountains,  by  any  means,  for 
bleak  and  bare  of  vendure,  rise  the  granite 
peaks  around  us,  to  an  altitude  of  over 
10,000  feet.  Piles  of  granite— their  weather- 
stained  and  moss-clad  sides  glistening  in 
the  morning  sun— rise  between  us  and  the 
"  western  shore,"  hiding  from  our  sight  the 
vast  expanse  of  plain  that  we  know  lies  be- 
tween us  and  the  golden  shores  of  the 
Pacific  Ocean.  Scattering  groups  of  hardy 
fir  and  spruce,  line  the  mountain  gorges, 
where  rest  the  everlasting  snows  that  have 
rested  in  the  deep  shady  gulches,  near  the 
summit  of  these  towering  old  mountains — 
who  can  tell  how  long?  They  have  lain, 
evidently,  since  Adam  was  a  verjr  small 
boy,  or  the  tree  sprouted  from  which  our 
apple-loving  ancestor.  Eve,  plucked  that 
bedeviled  fruit. 


We  are  on  the  dividing  ridges  which 
separate  the  head-waters  of  several  moun- 
tain rivers,  which,  by  different  and  tor- 
tuous  courses,  find  at  last  the  same  common 
receptacle  for  their  snow-fed  waters— the 
Sacramento  River.  Close  to  our  right, 
far  down  in  that  fir-clad  gorge,  the  waters 
of  the  South  Yuba  leap  and  dance  along, 
amid  dense  and  gloomy  forests,  and  over 
almost  countless  rapids,  cascades  and 
waterfalls.  This  stream  heads  against  and 
far  up  the  Summit,  one  branch  crossing 
the  road  at  the  next  station,  Cascade.  After 
passing  Cisco,  the  head  waters  of  Bear 
River  can  be  seen  lying  between  the  Divide 
and  the  Yuba,  which  winds  away  be- 
yond, out  of  sight,  behind  another  mountain 
ridge.  Farther  on  still,  and  we  find  the 
American  River  on  our  left.  These  streams 
reach  the  same  ending  the  Sacramento  River 
but  are  far  apa- 1,  where  they  mingle  with 
that  stream.  There  is  no  grander  scenery 
in  the  Sierras,  of  towering  mountains,  deep 
gorges,  lofty  precipices,  sparkling  water- 
falls and  crystal  lakes,  than  abound  within 
an  easy  distance  of  this  place.  The  tourist 
can  find  scenes  of  the  deepest  interest  and 
grandest  beauty;  the  scholar  and  philoso- 
pher, objects  of  rare  value  for  scentific  in- 
vestigation ;  the  hunter  and  the  angler  can 
find  an  almost  unlimited  field  for  his 
amusement;  the  former  in  the  gorges  of 
the  mountains,  where  the  timid  deer  and 
fierce  grizzly  bear  make  their  homes ;  the 
latter  among  the  mountain  lakes  and 
streams,  where  the  speckle  I  trout  leaps  in 
its  joyous  freedom,  while  around  all,  is  the 
music  of  snow-fed  mountain  torrent  and 
mountain  breeze,  and  over  all  is  the  clear 
blue  sky  of  a  sunny  clime,  tempered  and 
softened  by  the  shadows  of  the  everlasting 
hills. 

Tunnels  and  Snow-Sheds  —From  the 
time  the  road  enters  the  crests  of  the  "  Sum- 
mit," it  passes  through  a  succession  of  tun- 
nels and  snow-sheds  so  closely  connected 
that  the  traveler  can  hardly  tell  when  the 
cars  enter  or  leave  a  tunnel.  The  Summit 
tunnel,  the  longest  of  the  number,  is  1,659 
feet  long,  the  others  ranging  from  100  to 
870  feet  in  length. 

The  snow-sheds  are  solid  structures,  built 
of  sawed  and  round  timber,  completely 
roofing  in  the  road  for  many  miles  (see 
illustration,  pp.  72-67-143).  Wlien  the  road 
was  completed,  there  were  23  miles  of  shed 
built,  at  an  actual  cost  of  $10,000  per  mile. 
With  the  additions  since  made,  the  line 
reaches  about  45  miles,  which  includes  the 


156 


PACIFIC   COAST   GUIDE. 


whole  length  of  the  deep  snow  line  on  the 
dividing  ridge.  When  we  consider  that 
along  the  summit  the  snow  falis  from  16  to 
20  feet  deep  during  a  wet  winter,  we  can 
imagine  the  necessity  and  importance  of 
these  btructures.  By  this  means  the  track 
is  as  clear  from  snow  in  the  winter  as  are 
the  valleys.  The  mighty  avalanches  which 
sweep  down  the  mountain  sides  in  spring, 
bearing  everything  before  them,  pass  over 
the  sloping  roofs  of  the  sheds  and  plunge 
into  the  chasms  below,  while  beneath  the 
rushing  mass  the  cars  glide  smoothly 
along,  the  passengers  hardly  knowing  but 
that  they  are  in  the  midst  of  an  enormous 
tunnel. 

Where  the  road  lies  clear  on  the  divide 
or  level  land,  the  sheds  have  sharp  roofs, 
like  those  of  any  building  calculated  to 
withstand  a  great  weight  of  snow.  But 
where  the  road  is  built  against  the  side  of 
these  bare  peaks,  the  roof  of  the  shed  can 
have  but  one  slope,  and  thatmust  reach  the 
mountain  side,  to  enable  the  "  snow-slides" 
to  cross  the  road  without  doing  harm  to 
that  or  the  passing  trains.  (See  illustration, 
pages,  67  and  143.) 

Fires  sometimes  cause  damage  to  sheds 
and  road,  but  seldom  any  delay  to  the 
trains,  as  the  company  have  materials  of  all 
kinds  on  hand  for  any  emergency,  and, 
with  their  swarm  of  men,  can  replace 
everything  almost  as  quick  as  it  is  de- 
stroyed; but,  to  further  protect  the  snow- 
sheds  and  bridges  from  fire,  and  the  more 
effectually  to  extinguish  them,  the  Railroad 
Company  have  stationed  the  locomotive 
Orey  Eagle  at  the  Summit  (with  steam  al- 
ways up  and  ready  to  answer  a  summons), 
with  a  force  pump  of  large  capacity,  sup- 
plied with  steam  from  the  engine.  At- 
tached to  the  locomotive  are  eight  water 
cars,  the  tanks  on  which  are  connected 
with  each  other  and  with  the  tender  of  the 
engine,  so  that  the  supply  of  water  will  al- 
ways be  suflScientto  check  any  ordinary  fire. 

The  Summit  House,  located  at  the  sta- 
tion, is  one  of  the  best  hotels  on  the  road 
and  can  furnish  tourists  with  every  accom- 
modation required,  while  spendiug  a  few 
days  or  weeks  exploring  this  very  inter- 
esting region. 

Passengers  from  the  West,  desiring  to 
visit  Lake  Tahoe,  can  take  a  stage  at  the 
Summit  House,  which  will  afibrd  them  a 
fine  view  of  Donner  Lake,  while  rolling 
down  the  mountain  and  around  to  the 
north  and  east  side  of  it,  en  route  to  Tahoe. 
Eeturning,  those  who  choose,  can  take  the 


cars  for  the  East,  at  Truckee,  without  re- 
turning to  the  Summit.  Fare  for  the 
"  round  trip,"  $6.00. 

Leaving  the  Summit,  we  pass  on  through 
the  long  shed,  and  tunnels  alternately, 
around  the  base  of  towering  peaks,  anon 
over  high,  bare  ridges,  then  through  grand 
old  forests,  for  5.77  miles  to 

Cascade — Here  we  cross  one  of  the 
branches  of  the  Yuba,  which  goes  leaping 
down  the  rocks  in  a  shower  of  spray  dur- 
ing the  summer,  but  in  the  winter  the 
chasm  shows  naught  but  a  bed  of  snow 
and  ice. 

Summit  valley,  one  of  the  loftiest  of  the 
Sierra  valleys,  lies  to  the  west,  a  broad, 
grassy  meadow,  dotted  with  trees  and  ly- 
ing  between  two  lofty  mountains,  about 
two  miles  long  by  one  mile  wide.  It  is 
covered  with  a  luxuriant  growth  of  grass, 
affording  pasturage  tor  large  bands  of  cat- 
t'e,  duiing  the  summer.  It  is  all  occupied 
by  dairymen  and  stock-raisers,  at  whose 
comfortable  dwellings  the  tourist  will  find 
a  hearty  welcome.  It  is  a  delightful  sum- 
mer retreat;  a  favorite  resort  for  those  who 
prefer  the  mountains,  with  their  cool 
breezes  and  pure  water.  The  valley  is 
watered  by  many  springs  and  snow-fed 
rivulets,  whose  waters  fl.ow  to  the  Ameri- 
can River. 

This  valley  is  becoming  noted  in  a  busi- 
ness point  of  view,  as  well  as  being  a  place 
of  summer  resort.  It  is  becoming  cele- 
brated as  a  meat  packing  station,  it  having 
been  demonstrated  that  pork  and  beef 
can  be  successfully  cured  here  during  any 
portion  of  the  year. 

Soda  Springs — are  situated  near  the 
foot  of  Summit  Valley,  their  waters  unit- 
ing with  others,  forming  the  head  waters 
of  the  American  River.  The  springs  are 
very  large  and  numerous,  and  the  water  is 
pronounced  to  be  the  best  medicinal  water 
in  the  State.  It  is  a  delightful  drink,  cool 
and  sparkling,  possessing  the  taste  of  the 
best  quality  of  manufactured  soda  water. 
The  larger  of  the  springs  have  been  im- 
proved, and  great  quantities  of  the  water 
are  now  bottled  and  shipped  to  all  parts  of 
the  State.  Near  the  S-  da  Springs  are 
others,  the  waters  of  which  are  devoid  of 
mineral  or  aciduous  taste,  and  boiling  hot. 

In  the  summer  these  springs  are  much  re- 
sorted to  by  people  from  the  "Bay."  There 
is  a  comfortable  hotel  at  the  Springs  which 
is  reached  from  the  Summit  by  stage,  and 
sometimes  at  a  side-  track,  called  "  Soda 


crofutt's  new  overland  tourist 


157 


■Spring  S  ation,"    midway  between.  Sum- 
mit and  Cascade  stations. 

Tamerack. — is  the  next  station,  4.2 
miles  from  Cascade,  and  3.51  miles  from 

Cisco— At  one  time  this  was  quite  an 
Important  place,  being  the  "terminus" 
during  the  time  occupied  in  tunneling 
through  the  summit ;  then^  it  was  a  place 
of  500  inhabitants,  now,  a  score  or  so  make 
tip  the  town. 

From  this  station  we  pass  along  rapidly 
and  easily,  without  the  help  of  the  locomo- 
tive. To  the  right,  occasional  glimpses  of 
the  Bear  and  Yuba  Rivers  can  be  seen 
far  below  us. 

Emigrant  Oap— is  8.5  miles  west 
of  Cisco,  at  the  place  where  the  old  emi- 
grant road  crossed  the  Divide,  and  fol- 
lowed down  the  ridges  to  the  valley  of  the 
Sacramento.  The  emigrants  passed  oioer 
the  "  gap,"  we  pass  under  it,  making  a 
slight  difference  in  elevation  between  the 
two  roads,  as  well  as  a  difference  in  tlie 
mode  of  traveling.  We  have  seen  the  last 
of  the  old  emigrant  road  that  we  have  fol- 
lowed so  far.  No  more  will  the  weary  emi- 
frant  toil  over  the  long  and  weary  journey, 
pace  is  annihilated,  and  the  tireless  iron 
horse  will  henceforth  haul  an  iron  wagon 
over  an  iron  road,  landing  the  tourist  and 
emigrant  fresh  and  hearty,  after  a  week's 
ride,  from  the  far  eastern  shores  of  our 
country  to  the  far  western — from  ocean  to 
ocean. 

Passing  on  amid  the  grand  old  pines, 
leaving  the  summit  "peaks  behind,  we  turn 
up  Blue  Canyon,  the  road-bed  on  the  oppo- 
site bank  apparently  running  parallel 
with  the  one  we  are  traversing.  Swinging 
around  the  head  of  the  canyon,  past  saw- 
mills and  lumber  side-tracks,  5.2  miles, 
we  reach 

Blue  Canyon^a  freight  and  lum- 
ber station,  where  immense  quantities  of 
lumber  are  shipped  from  mills  in  the  vicin- 
ity. Before  the  railroad  reached  these 
mountains,  the  lumber  interest  of  this  sec- 
tion was  of  little  value,  there  being  only  a 
local  demand,  which  hardly  paid  for  build- 
ing mills  and  keeping  teams.  The  mines 
were  then  the  only  market— the  cost  of 
freight  to  the  valleys  forbidding  competi 
tion  with  the  Puget  Sound  lumber  trade, 
or  with  mills  situated  so  much  nearer  the 
agricultural  districts.  Now  the  lumber  can 
be  sent  to  the  valleys,  and  sold  as  cheaply 
as  any,  in  a  market  rarely  overstocked ;  for 
the  one  item  of  lumber  forms  one  of  the  sta- 
ple market  articles,  ruling  at  more  regular 


prices,  and  being  in  better  demand  than 
any  other  article  of  trade,  on  the  coast,  if 
we  except  wheat. 

Leaving  Blue  Canyon,  we  speed  along 
around  the  hill-sides,  past 

China  Ranch— a  side-track,  about  two 
miles  west.  The  passenger  should  now 
watch  the  scenery  on  the  left. 

SShady  Run— is  4.72  miles  west  of 
Blue  Canyon,  but  passenger  trains  seldom 
stop.  On  the  left,  south  side,  can  be  seen, 
one  of  the  grandest  gorges  in  the  Sierra 
Nevada  Mountains,  "The  Great  American 
Canyon."  (See  illustration,  page  130).  At 
this  point  the  American  River  Is  com- 
pressed between  two  walls,  2,000  feet  high, 
and  so  nearly  perpendicular  that  we  can 
stand  on  the  brink  of  the  cliff  and  look 
directly  down  on  the  foaming  waters  be- 
low. The  canyon  is  about  two  miles  long, 
and  so  precipitous  are  its  sides,  which  are 
washed  by  the  torrent,  that  it  has  been 
found  impossible  to  ascend  the  stream 
through  the  gorge,  even  on  foot.  This  is  a 
beautiful  view — one  of  nature's  most  mag- 
nificant  panoramas.  But  we  soon  lose 
sight  of  it,  as  our  train  turns  to  the  right, 
up  a  side  canyon^  4.84  miles  from  Shady 
Run,  and  stops  at 

Alta — Alta  looks  old  and  weather- 
beaten,  and  its  half-dozen  board  houses, 
with  sharp  roofs,  look  as  though  there  was 
little  less  than  a  century  between  the  pres- 
ent and  the  time  when  they  were  ushered 
into  existence — like  its  namesake  in  San 
Francisco,  after  which  it  was  named. 

JDntch  Flat— is  1.87  miles  from  Alta ; 
old  settlers  call  it  German  Level.  The 
town  of  Dutch  Flat  is  situated  in  a  hollow, 
near  bv  and  to  the  right  of  the  road,  a  por- 
tion  of  it  being  in  plain  view.  The  town 
contains  many  good  buildings,  churches, 
schools,  and  hotels.  The  Farmer,  a  weekly 
newspaper,  is  a  new  institution  at  Dutch 
Flat.  Population,  about  2,000.  One  feature 
of  this  town  is  worth  noting,  and  worthy 
of  commendation — the  beautiful  gardens 
and  fine  orchards  which  ornament  almost 
every  house.  In  almost  all  of  the  moun- 
tain towns — in  fact  in  all  of  the  older  min- 
ing towns — the  scene  is  reproduced,  while 
many  of  the  valley  towns  are  bare  of  vines, 
flowers  or  fruit  trees;  the  miner's  cabin  has 
its  garden  and  fruit  trees  attached,  if  water 
can  be  had  for  irrigation,  while  half  of  the 
farm-houses  have  neither  fruit  trees,  shrubs, 
flowers  nor  gardens  around  them. 

Stages  leave  this  station  daily  for  Little 
York,  You  Bet  and  Red  Dog.     Freight 


158 


PACIFIC    COAST   GUIDE. 


teams  leave  here  for  all  the  above  named 
towns  and  mining  camps  in  this  vicinity. 

Little  York — a  mining  town,  three 
miles  northwest  of  Dutch  Flat,  contains 
about  500  inhabitants. 

You  Bet — is  six  miles  from  Little  York, 
also  a  mining  town,  about  the  same  size. 

Red  Dog — seven  and  a-half  miles  from 
You  Bet,  is  still  another  small  mining  town. 

These  towns  are  situated  on  what  is 
called  the  Blue  Lode,  the  best  large  placer 
mining  dis:rict  in  the  State.  The  traveler 
will  see  the  evidences  of  the  vast  labor 
performed  here,  while  standing  on  the 
platform  of  the  cars  at  Alta,  Dutch  Flat  or 
Gold  Run  stations.  The  Blue  Lode  ex- 
tends from  below  Gold  Run,  through  the 
length  of  Nevada,  on,  into  and  through 
a  portion  of  Sierra  count/.  It  is  supposed 
to  be  the  bed  of  some  ancient  river,  which 
was  much  larger  than  any  of  the  existing 
mountain  s' reams.  The  course  of  this  old 
river  was  nearly  at  right  angles  with  that 
followed  by  the  Yuba  and  other  streams, 
which  run  across  it.  The  channel  is  from 
one  to  five  miles  wide  in  places — at  least 
the  gravel  hills,  which  are  supposed  to 
cover  the  bed,  extend  for  that  distance 
across  the  range.  M5,ny  of  these  gravel 
hills  are  from  100  to  500 
feet  high,  covered  with 
pine  trees  from  two  to 
six  feet  in  diameter. 
Petrified  trees,  oak  and 
pine,  and  other  woods, 
such  as  manzanita, 
mountain  maho  g  a  n  y 
and  maple,  are  found 
in  the  bed  of  the  river, 
showing  that  the  same 
varieties  of  wood  existed 
when  this  great  change 
was  wrought,  as  are 
now  growing  on  the 
adjacent  hill-sides. 

Hydraulic  Mining— 
The  traveler  will  ob- 
serve by  the  road-side, 
mining  ditches  and 
flumes,  carrying  a  large 
and  rapid  stream  of 
water.  These  ditches 
extend  for  many  miles, 
tapping  the  rivers  ne&r 
their  sources — near  the 
regions  ot  perpetud 
snow.  By  this  means 
the  water  is  conveyed 
over  the   tops    of   the 


hills,  whence  it  is  carried  to  any  claim 
below  it.  The  long,  high  and  nar- 
row flume,  called  a  "telegraph,"  car- 
ries the  water  from  the  ditch,  as 
nearly  level  as  possible,  over  the  claim 
to  be  worked.  To  the  *'  telegraph  "  is  at- 
tached a  hose  with  an  iron  pipe,  or  nozzle, 
through  which  the  w^ater  rushes  with  great 
velocity.  AVhen  directed  against  a  gravel 
bank,  it  cuts  and  tears  it  down,  washing 
the  dirt  thoroughly,  at  a  rate  astonishing 
to  those  unacquainted  with  hydraulic  min- 
ing. (See  rccompanying  illustration.)  The 
water  carries  rocks,  dirt  and  sand  through 
the  tail  race,  and  into  the  long  flumes, 
where  the  riffles  for  collecting  the  gold  are 
placed.  Miles  and  miles  of  the  flumes 
have  been  built,  at  an  enormous  expense, 
to  save  the  gold  carried  away  in  the  tail- 
ings. 

Around  Little  York  and  You  Bet,  the 
lode  is  mixed  too  much  with  cement  to 
mine  in  this  manner  with  profit,  licuce 
mills  have  been  erected  where  the  cement 
is  worked  in  the  same  manner  as  quartz 
rock — crushed  and  then  amalgamated. 

Gold  Ran — is  2. 13  miles  beyond  Dutch 
Flat,  and  is  a  small  mining  town,  contain- 
ing about  200  inhabitants.    Around  it  you 


HYDRAULIC    MIXING, 


CEOFUTT  S    NEW   OVERLAND    TOURIST 


159 


can  see,  on  every  hand,  the  miner's  work. 
Long  flume  beds,  which  carry  off  the 
washed  gravel  and  retain  the  gold ;  long 
and  large  ditches  full  of  ice-cold  water, 
which,  cfirected  by  skillful  hands,  are  fast 
tearing  down  the  mountains  and  sending 
the  washed  debris  to  fill  the  river-beds  in 
the  plains  below.  There  are  a  set  of 
"pipes"  busily  playing  against  the 
hill-side,  which  often  comes  down  in 
acres.  All  is  life,  energj^  and  activity. 
We  don't  see  many  children  peeping  out 
of  those  cabins,  for  they  are  not  so  plentful 
in  the  mining  districts  as  in  Salt  Lake. 
But  we  do  see  nearly  all  of  the  cabins  sur- 
rounded  with  little  gardens  and  orchards, 
which  produce  the  finest  of  fruits. 

Descending  the  mountain  rapidly,  amid 
mining  claims,  by  the  side  of  large  ditches, 
through  the  deep  gravel  cuts,  and  along 
the  grassy  hill-sides,  until,  on  the  left,  a 
glimpse  of  the  North  Fork  of  the  Ajneri- 
can  River  can  be  had,  foaming  and  dash- 
ing along  in  a  narrow  gorge  full  1,500 
feet  beneath  us.  Farther  on  we  see  the 
North  Fork  of  the  North  Fork,  dashing 
down  the  steep  mountain  at  right  angles 
with  the  other,  leaping  from  waterfall  to 
waterfall,  its  sparkling  current  resembling 
an  airy  chain  of  danc- 
ing sunbeams,  as  it  has- 
tens on  to  unite  with 
the  main  stream.  Now 
we  lose  sight  of  it,  while 
it  passes  through  one  of 
those  grand  canyons  on- 
ly to  be  met  with  in  these 
mountains. 

C.  H.  Mills-a  sta- 
tion where  trains  sel- 
dom stop,  is  5.96  miles 
from  Gold  Run.  The 
passenger  should  be  on 
the  lookout,  and  look  to 
the  left — south— as  the 
scene  changes  with  every 
revolution  of  the  wheels. 
A  few  moments  ago  we 
left  the  canyon  behind — 
now,  behold,  it  breaks 
on  our  view  again,  and 
this  time  right  under  us, 
as  it  were,  but  much 
farther  down.  It  seems 
as  though  we  could  j  ump 
from  the  platform  into 
the  river,  so  close  are  we 
to  the  brink  of  the  preci- 
pice; steadily  on  goes 


the  long  train,  while  far  below  us  the  wa- 
ters dance  along,  the  river  looking  like  a 
winding  thread  of  silver  laid  in  the  bottom 
of  the  chasm,  2,500  feet  below  us.  This  is 
Cape  Horn,  one  of  the  grandest  scenes  on 
the  American  Continent,  if  not  in  the 
world.  Timid  ladies  will  draw  back  w  ith 
a  shudder — one  look  into  the  awful  chasm 
being  suflBcient  to  unsettle  their  nerves, 
and  deprive  them  of  the  wish  to  linger 
near  the  grandest  scene  on  the  whole  line 
of  the  trans-continental  railroad. 

Now  look  farther  down  the  river  and 
behold  that  black  speck  spanning  the  sil- 
ver  line.  That  is  the  turnpike  bridge  on 
the  road  to  Iowa  Hill,  though  it  looks  no 
larger  than  a  foot  plank.  Now  we  turn 
sharp  around  to  our  right,  where  the 
towering  masses  of  rock  have  been  cut 
down,  affording  a  road-bed,  where  a  few 
years  ago  the  savage  could  not  make  a 
foot  trail.  Far  above  us  they  rear  their 
black  crests,  towering  away,  as  it  were, 
to  the  clouds,  their  long  shadows  falling 
far  across  the  lovely  little  vaPey  now  ly. 
ing  on  our  left,  and  a  thousand  feet  below 
us  still.  We  have  lost  sight  of  the  river, 
and  are  following  the  mountain  side,  look- 
ing for  a  place  to  cross  this  valley  and 


ROUNDING  CAPE  HORN 


160 


PACIFIC    CQAST    GUIDE. 


1 


LOOKING    UP  AT    CAPE    HORN — ^S©e.  BCXt  page. 


PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


161 


reach  the  road-bed  on  the  opposite  side, 
which  we  can  see  ruLS  parallel  with  us. 
Soon  it  is  found,  and  turning  to  our  left, 
we  cross  the  valley — Rice's  Ravine — on  a 
trestle  bridge  113  feet  high  and  878  feet 
long,  under  which  can  be  seen  the  track  of 
the  narrow  gauge  railroad,  from  Colfax 
to  Nevada.  Gradually  the  height  grows 
less,  until  it  is  reduced,  at  the  end  of  600 
feet,  enough  to  admit  of  an  embankment 
being  raised  to  meet  it.  On,  over  the  em- 
bankment, which  curves  around  to  the 
left,  and  now  we  are  on  the  solid  hill-side, 
and  running  along  opposite  the  road  by 
which  we  passed  up  the  valley.  We  now 
have  our  last  and  best  look  at  the  bold 
bluff. 

The  best  view  of  this  noted  place  is  ob- 
ta  ned  when  going  east,  or  from  the  river 
below.  Viewed  from  the  river,  the  pass- 
ing train  looks  like  some  huge  monster 
winding  around  the  bluff,  bold  point, 
puffing  and  blowing  with  its  herculean 
labors,  or  screaming  angry  notes  of  de- 
fiance, or  perhaps  of  ultimate  triumph  at 
the  obstacles  overcome  (see  page  160j 

When  the  road  was  in  course  or  con- 
struction, the  groups  of  Chinese  laborers 
on  the  bluffs  looked  almost  like  swarms  of 
ants,  when  viewed  from  the  river.  Years 
ago,  the  cunning  savage  could  find  only 
a  very  roundabout  trail  by  which  to  ascecd 
the  point,  where  now  the  genius  and 
energy  of  the  pale-face  has  laid  a  broad 
and  safe  road,  whereon  the  iron  steed  car- 
ries its  living  freight  swiftly  and  safely  on 
their  way  to  and  from  ocean  to  ocean. 

When  the  road-bed  was  constructed 
around  this  point,  the  men  who  broke  the 
first  standing  ground  were  held  by  ropes 
until  firm  foot-holds  could  be  excavated 
in  the  rocky  side^  of  the  precipitous  bluffs. 

Colfax— is  4.5  miles  from  C.  H.  Mills. 
two  miles  west  of  the  high  bridge,  trains 
until  recently  stopped  for  meals,  they 
now  stop  at  Sacramento. 
The  company  have  a  large  depot  here,  this 
being  the  distributing  point  for  freight 
bound  for  Grass  Valley,  Nevada,  and  a 
large  scope  of  mining  country.  The  town 
is  named  in  honor  of  Schuyler  Colfax, 
one  of  the  warmest  friends  and  earliest 
supporters  of  the  road. 

Colfax  is  a  substantial  railroad  town. 
It  contains  about  1,000  inhabitants,  is  well 
watered,  and  has  an  air  of  general  thrift 
about  it,  which  marks  all  the  permanent 
towns  along  the  road.  The  school  and 
church  accommodations  are  ample;  the 


climate  is  invigorating  and  healthy,  and 
the  inhabitants  a  thrifty,  driving,  enter- 
prising people;  the  greater  number,  na- 
tives  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  who  emi- 
grated to  this  country  in  early  days — 
1849—50. 

Illinois  Town —  is  a  half-mile  west, 
once  a  noted  freighting  point  for  the  sur- 
rounding mines,  now  the  only  business  is 
raising  fruit,  apples,  peaches  and  pears. 

Iowa  Hill — is  a  mining  town,  13  miles 
south  of  Colfax.  A  good  toUroad  crosses 
the  American  River  on  the  bridge  which 
we  saw  when  rounding  Cape  Horn,  and 
follows  up  the  mountain  to  the  town, 
which  contains  about  250  inhabitants. 
Formerly  stages  ran  daily  to  Iowa  Hill 
and  the  mining  camps  to  the  southward, 
but  for  some  reason,  they  now  run  only 
semi-occasionally.  Private  conveyance  can 
always  be  secured  at  Colfax  at  reasonable 
charge. 

As  our  trip  is  for  pleasure,  and  to  see  all 
that  is  worth  seeing,  we  will  need  to  take 
a  trip  to  the  old  mining  towns  of  Grass 
Valley  and  Nevada. 

Ifevada  County  Xarroir  Oange 
Railroad. 

General  OfQces  are  at  Grass  Valley. 

J.  C.  Coleman President 

John  F.  Kidder General  Sioperintendent. 

Geo.  FiiETCHEB Secretary. 

This  road  is  a  three-foot  narrow  gauge; 
commenced  in  January,  1875,  and  com- 
pleted May  32,  1876:  length,  33)^  miles. 
This  is  a  very  crooked  road,  has  15  trestle 
bridges,  aggregating  5,176  feet,  two  trusa 
bridges,  each  165  feet  long,  and  97  and  85 
feet  high,  respectively;  and  two  tunnels, 
aggregating  800  feet.  As  for  the  scenery- 
well,  it  is  immense — the  rapid  and  aston- 
ishing changes  remind  one  of  the  kaleid- 
oscope, and  its  wondrous  changes.  Here 
are  to  be  seen  every  variety  of  mountain 
scenery,  as  though  a  choice  morsel  of  each 
of  the  grand  beauties  of  nature  had  slipped 
from  the  hand  of  the  great  Architect  while 
distributing  them,  giving  such  a  variety  of 
magnificent  views  as  are  seldom,  if  ever,, 
found  in  the  same  distance  traveled. 

On  the  route  we  shall  pass  through 
fearful  chasms,  and  tortuous  canyons ; 
under  and  over  lofty  bridges,  through 
forests,  beside  green  fields  and  tower- 
ing mountains ;  tall  pines  and  diminu- 
tive manzanitas ;  huge  furnaces,  and 
thundering  quartz  mills ;  long  flumes. 


162 


crofutt's  new  overland  tourist 


and  beautiful  cascades;  large  rivers, 
and  tiny  sparkling  creeks  ;  dark  and 
gloomy  gorges,  and  fruit-laden  orchards; 
old  placer  diggings,  new  diggings,  and 
immense  quartz  mines.  But  come  along, 
and  take  a  look.  The  train  stands  j  ust  on 
the  south  side  of  the  depot  at  Colfax,  and 
leaves  on  the  arrival  of  the  overland  train. 

Passing  along  to  the  eastward,  we  gradu- 
ally descend  the  canyon  with  the  track  of 
the  C.  P.  road  away  above  us  on  the  left, 
and  again  to  the  right,  where  it  curves 
around  Cape  Horn,  a  beautiful  view  of 
which  is  obtained.  Following  on  up,  we 
pass  under  the  high  bridge  of  the  Central, 
one  and  a-half  miles  from  Uolfax,  and 
reach  the  Divide,  where  the  waters  run  to 
the  north,  to  Bear  River — which  we  soon 
reach  and  cross  on  a  bridge  750  feet  long, 
and  97  feet  high ;  amid  towering  pine  and 
spruce  trees  and  the  most  romantic  scen- 
ery' — then,  4.5  miles  from  Colfax,  we  come 
to  the  side-track  station  of 

You  Bet— the  town  of  which  is  four 
miles  to  the  east— heretofore  described. 
We  now  come  to  the  Greenhorn.  Follow- 
ing it  up  through  a  350-foot  tunnel,  we 
cross  that  creek  on  a  trestle  and  bridge  700 
feet  long;  on,  up  and  over  another  450  feet 
trestle,  along  the  side  of  the  mountain, 
overlooking  the  Greenhorn,  around  the 
great  "  S  "  curve,  on  a  grade  of  105  feet  to 
the  mile ;  through  heavy  rock  cuts,  almost 
doubling  back  on  our  route. 

Storms — another  side-track,  by  a  great 
saw-mill,  is  four  miles  further,  but  the 
trains  stop  only  on  signal.  The  moun- 
tains on  the  route  up  to  this  station  are 
covered  with  pines,  spruce  and  oaks.  The 
chasms  are  fearfully  grand  in  places  on 
the  left. 

Buena  Vista — another  side-track,  in  the 
Noonday  Valley,  is  four  miles  from  Storms, 
from  whence,  continuing  on  up  two  miles, 
we  reach 

Kress  Summit— with  an  altitude  of 
2,851  feet.  From  the  summit  the  descent 
is  rapid,  151  feet  to  the  mile;  the  moun- 
tains  are  here  covered  with  small  pines 
and  manzanitas,  the  big  timber  that  once 
covered  them  having  long  since  been  cut 
off,  and  used  to  a  great  extent  in  the  mines 
at  Grass  Valley.  On  the  road  down,  we 
pass  many  evidences  of  placer  mining,  and, 
doubtless,  will  see  some  Chinamen  work, 
ing  over  the  old  placers  near  Union  Hill. 
On  the  left  are  several  old  mills,  and  just 
l)efore  reaching  Grass  Valley,  away  to  the 
right,  across  a  low  place  in  the  ridge,  can 


( 


be  seen  two  great  Quartz  Mills — the  Idah< 
and  Eureka.     Those  mills,  although  no 
on  our  right,  will  be  on  our  left  after  ^ 
pass  the  next  station.    The  distance  acp 
from  track  to  track  is  1,200  feet ;  around 
is  three  miles. 

Grass  Valley — This  is  an  old  and  stiL 
a  thriving  mining  town  of  full  7,500  in- 
habitants.  It  is  situated  17  miles  from 
Colfax,  35  miles  east  of  Marysville,  and 
five  and  a-half  miles  west  of  Nevada;  on 
the  sides  of  the  hills,  along  the  ravines, 
with  comfortable  little  residences  scattered 
about  the  nooks  and  gulches  promiscu- 
ously. It  contains  some  good  business 
blocks,  and  some  fine  private  residences. 
The  private  dwellings,  generally,  are  en- 
clos«3d  in  fine  orchards  and  gardens,  which 
give  them  an  air  of  comfort  and  home-like 
beauty.  The  town  derives  its  prominence 
from  the  quartz  mines  in  and  around  it. 
No  town  in  the  State  has  produced  an 
equal  amount  of  gold  from  quartz,  and 
none  has  added  more  real  wealth  to  the 
State  at  large. 

In  September,  1850,  a  miner  picked  up 
a  piece  of  gold-bearing  quartz  on  Gold 
Hill.    From  this,  prospecting  commenced,  , 
and  soon   several   valuable    mines   were  \ 
opened.    In  1851,  the  first  quartz  mill  was  j 
erected  in  Boston  Ravine,  now  one  of  the 
most  populous  portions  of  the  town. 

Grass  Valley  now  contains  19  quartz 
mills,  agregating  305  stamps,  besides 
three  large  de-sulphurising  works.  The 
city  is  illuminated  with  gas,  has  two  good 
hotels — the  Exchange  and  the  Wisconsin, 
one  daily  newspaper,  the  Grass  Valley 
Union,  and  the  Foothill  Tidings,  a  weekly. 
Of  the  quartz  mills,  one  is  worthy  of  special 
note — the  Idaho.  Up  to  January,  1877, 
this  mill  had  never  failed  to  pay  a  divi- 
dend for  100  months  in  succession,  varying 
from  $5  to  $25  per  share.  There  are  3,100 
shares  of  a  par  value  of  $100;  and  these 
shares  have  sold  as  high  as  $750  each.  The 
total  receipts  for  nine  years  were  $4,589,- 
255;  dividends  paid,  $2,270,750. 

Stages  leave  Grass  Valley  for  Marys- 
ville, west  35  miles.  Leaving  the  depot, 
which  is  on  the  south  side  and  overlooking 
the  town,  we  turn  east,  leaving  the  Idaho 
mill  and  the  old  Eureka  mill,  (now  aban- 
doned), on  our  left,  and  follow  up  through 
a  section  of  country  where  are  long  flumes, 
and  many  signs  of  placer  mining,  as  well 
as  old  washed  out  diggings.  We  pass 
some  orchards  of  fruit,  a  little  meadow- 
land,  cross  Wolff  Creek,  see  the  Chinamen 


WOOD-HAULING  IN  Nl 


'  VDA.     (See  Annex  No.  39,) 


ai.) 


crofutt's  new  overland  tourist 


163 


digging  overtlie  old  claims,  note  the  young 

{)ines,  and  the  long  "V"  flume  which  brings 
umber  from  the  moimtains  to  the  east- 
ward twelve  miles,  and  climb  up  to  the 
Town-Talk  Tunnel,  450  feet  long ;  elevation 
2,774  feet;  and  then  descend,  passing 
old  mills  and  new  mills,  a  portion  of  the 
city  of  Nevada,  away  across  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  mountain,  peacefully  re- 
posing— probably  all  unconscious  of  our 
near  approach.  On  the  descent  to  the  city, 
we  pass  the  New  England  mill  on  the 
left,  and  the  Pittsburgh  mill  on  the  right ; 
then  cross  a  bridge  450  feet  long  over  Gold 
Run  Creek,  where  considerable  placer 
mining  is  still  being  done,  and  after  a  run 
of  five  and  a  half  miles  from  Grass  Valley, 
arrive  at 

Nevada — ^This  city  is  the  county  seat 
of  Nevada  county,  situated  on  Deer  Creek, 
a  rapid  stream  w  ith  nigged  canyon  walls, 
and  contains  a  population  of  about  4,800. 
There  are  here  seven  stamp  mills,  agrega- 
ting  110  stamps,  tw^o  de-sulphurizing 
works,  and,  when  sufficient  water  can  be 
had  for  the  purpose,  an  extensive  business 
is  carried  on  in  hydraulic  mining. 

The  place  is  rather  irregularly  laid  out, 
owing  to  the  formation  of  the  land  and  the 
creek  which  runs  through  a  portion  of  the 
the  town.  There  are  some  good  business 
blocks,  good  county  buildings,  several 
hotels,  of  which  the  principal  is  the  Union ; 
one  daily  newspaper,  the  Trcmaonpt;  and 
one  weekly,  the  Gazette.  There  are  some 
very  nice  private  residences,  surrounded 
with  orchards,  fruit  and  beautiful  shrub- 
bery, which  contrast  strikingly  with  the 
bare,  brown,  or  red  old  hillsides. 

The  first  mining  in  Nevada  was  placer, 
creek  and  gulch-washing.  The  mines 
were  very  rich,  and  lasted  several  years. 
During  this  time  the  famous  hill  "  dig- 

§ings,"  a  part  of  the  "  old  river  bed,"  were 
iscovered  and  opened.  They,  too,  proved 
a  source  of  great  wealth,  though  many 
miners  became  "dead  broke"  before  the 
right  system — hydraulic  mining  with  long 
flumes — was  inaugurated.  These  mines 
proved  very  extensive  and  lasting,  and  yet 
form  one  of  the  chief  sources  of  the  city's 
wealth.  Of  late  years  the  attention  of  the 
people  has  been  directed  to  cement  and 
quartz  mining,  and  several  very  valuable 
quartz  veins  have  been  opened,  and  fine 
mills  erected  on  them.  The  quartz  interest 
is  now  a  decided  feature  in  the  business  of 
the  city. 
Stages  leave  Nevada  daily  for  North  San 
11 


Juan,  14  miles ;  Comptonville,  23  miles; 
Forest  City,  45  miles,  and  Downieville, 
50  miles. 

North  San  Juan — is  a  lively  mining 
town  of  1,500  inhabitants,  most  of  whom 
are  engaged  in  hydraulic  or  other  min. 
ing.  Theyieldof  the  Milton  Company's  mill 
for  1877,  was  $233,000;  the  Manzanita 
mine,  $155,713,  for  the  same  year.  Or- 
chards and  vineyards  are  numerous,  also 
some  fine  private  residences. 

Comptonville — is  another  small  min- 
ing town,  of  about  500  inhabitants,  most  of 
whom  are  dependent  on  placer  mining, 
and  they  have  a  portion  of  the  "  old  chan- 
nel" or  hill  mines  in  the  immediate 
vicinity. 

Forest  City^Is  a  place  of  about  400 
inhabitants,  also  a  mining  town,  working 
"drift  diggings." 

Downieville  —  the  largest  town  in 
Sierra  county,  is  situated  on  Yuba  Kiver, 
with  a  population  of  about  1,000. 

Bloompield — is  twelve  miles  from  Ne- 
vada, sometimes  called  *'Humbug,"  but  the 
yield  of  the  North  Bloomfield  Co^'s  mine 
for  1877,  $291,125,  was  not  much  of  a 
humbug. 

With  this  hasty  rfance  at  a  country 
where  the  material  for  a  big  book  lays 
around  loose,  we  return  to  the  Overland 
road,  and  again  to  the  westward. 

Leaving  Colfax,  we  follow  down  Auburn 
Ravine,  at  times  near  its  bed  and  anon 
winding  in  and  out  among  the  hills,  which 
are  here  and  there  covered  with  small 
oaks  and  an  occasional  large  oak 
and  pine,  together  with  the  Manzanita,  a 
peculiar  shrub,  resembling  the  thorn  of 
the  Eastern  States,  which  sheds  its  bark 
instead  of  its  leaves.     (See  page  164.) 

N,  E,  Mills— is  the  first  station  after 
Colfax,  6.6  miles  distant,  but  trains  stop 
onlv  on  signal.  The  country  is  very  rough 
and.  broken,  and  3.31  miles  more  brings 
our  train  to 

Apple&;ate — another  side-track  near 
some  lime  Kilns.  Continuing  along  with 
numerous  cuts,  fills,  bridges  and  one  tun- 
nel near  the  next  station,  700  feet  long,  for 
2.97  miles,  we  arrive  at 

Clipper  Gap— an  unimportant  sta- 
tion. Again  onward,  vfe  leave  the  ravine 
and  keep  along  the  foot  hills,  to  hold  the 
grade  —  passing  through  many  an  old 
washed  placer  mine,  in  which,  only  a  few 
short  years  ago,  could  be  seen  thousands  of 
men  digging  and  washing,  washing  and 
digging,  from  morning  till  night,  seeking 


164 


PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


what  is  said  to  be  "  the  root  of  all  evil  " — 
GOLi>— and  a  huge  root  it  is\  they  all  point 
to  it;  we  are  hunting  it;  have  hunted  it  for 
forty  years ;  struck  the  trail  several  time", 
but  it  soon  got  cold ;  and  it  has  been  diflS. 
cult  for  some  time  to  find  a  "  color." 

Anbarn — The  county  seat  of  Placer 
county — is  7.71  miles  west  of  Clipper  Gap, 
and  contains  about  1,000  inhabitants.  Gar- 
dens,  vineyards,  and  orchards  abound,  and 
everything  betokens  quiet,  home-comforts 
and  ease.  It  has  excellent  schools  and 
fine  churches,  and  is  one  of  the  neatest 
looking  towns  in  the  county.  The  public 
buildings,  court-house  etc.,  are  good,  and 
the  grounds  well  kept  The  greater  portion 
of  the  dwellings  stand  a  little  distance  from 
the  road.  The  American,  Orleans,  and 
Railroad  House,  are  the  principal  hotels. 
The  Placer  Herald  and  the  Argus,  both 
w^eekly  newspapers,  are  published  here 

Stages  run  daily  from  Auburn  to  Pilot 
Hill,  eleven  miles ;  Greenwood,  14  miles ; 
Georgetown,  20  miles ;  Coloma,  22  miles ; 
Forest  Hill,  23  miles;  Michigan  Bluffs,  30 
miles ;  Placerville,  30  miles. 

We  are  now  in  the  foot-hills : 

After  leaving  Auburn,  we  pass 
through  Bloomer  Cut,  (see  illustra- 
tion, p.  168). then  near  the  next  station 
we  pass  over  the  New  Castle  Gap 
Bridge,  which,  before  it  was  filled  up 
with  earth, was  528  feet  long  and  60  feet 
high.  All  trestle  bridges  and  trestle 
works  on  both  the  Union  and  Central 
Pacific  roads,  have  all  been  filled  in 
with  rock,  earth  or  iron,  within  the 
last  five  years. 

New  Castle— is  a  small  place  of 
about 200 inhabitants,  about4.89  miles 
from  Auburn. 

We  pass  on  through  little  valleys. 

BiTo.  8  Annex.  The  lladrone  Trro.— This 
peculiar  tree  can  be  seen  in  many  parts  of  Califor- 
nia, particularly  on  excursions,  Nos.  4  and  5.  It 
sheds  its  hark  in  the  fall  of  the  year,  much  the 
same  as  other  trees  their  leaves.  The  tree,  after 
shedding  its  hark,  has  a  bright  salmon  color,  then 
►  turns  gradually  darker,  until,  at  the  shedding 

time  the  folio-wing  year,  the  bark  is  quite  dark. 

The  Manzanita,  ■which  means  in  Spanish  "  lit- 
tle apple,"'  a  small  shrub,  also  sheds  its  bark.  It 
is  found  along  the  foot-hill  ranges  of  California. 
The  root  is  very  tough,  fine  grained  and  polishes 
very  beautifully.  Many  fine  boxes,  and  -handles 
for  canes,  umbjellas  and  parasols  are  made  from 
the  root  of  the  Manzanita. 

In  Utah  a  man  is  rated  according  to  the  num- 
ber of  -wives  he  has,  thus  ;  A  man -with  t-wo -wives 
is  a  "2-ply"  Mormon ;  one  -with  three,  a  "3-ply." 
Each -wife  adds  a  "ply." 

Virtue  and  honor  are  very  nice  for  Sunday  -wear, 
but  too  rare  for  every  day  use. 


and  among  low  hills,  with  evidences  of 
past  and  a  little  present  mining. 

Off  to  the  right  are  the  old-time  mining 
camps  of  Ophir,  Virginia  City,  Gold  Hill, 
and  several  others,  where  yet  considerable 
placer  mining  is  indulged  in  by  the  old 
settlers  who  are  good  for  nothing  else. 

There  are  several  stone  quarries  near  the 
station,  where  a  very  good  article  of  granite 
is  procured. 

Just  after  leaving  Newcastle,  we  catch 
the  first  glimpse  of  the  beautiful  valley  of 
the  Sacramento,  from  the  windows  on  the 
right-hand  side  of  the  cars.  There  has 
been  several  points  above,  where  the  val- 
ley could  be  seen  for  a  moment,  but  very 
indistinctly.  Passing  on  by  several  valu- 
able stone  quarries,  for  6.06  miles,  we 
come  ffo 

Pino — ^We  are  rapidly  descending,  but 
among  the  low  hills,  covered  with  chap- 
arral, manzanita  and  grease-wood,  the 
road  winds  onward  for  3.04  miles  further, 
passing  several  valuable  quarries,  to  the 
right  and  left,  when  we  arrive  at 

Rocklin — Here  the  company  have  a 
machine  shop  and  round-house  of  28-stalls, 
built  in  the  most  substantial  manner,  of 
granite  obtained  near  by.  The  celebrated 
llocklin  Granite  Quarries  are  close  to  the 
station,  on  the  left-hand  side  of  the  road. 
The  granite  obtained  here  is  of  excellent 
quality,  and  does  not  stain  on  exposure  to 
the  weather.  The  stone  for  the  State  Cap- 
itol and  for  many  of  the  best  buildings  in 
San  Francisco  was  quarried  here. 

Leaving  Rocklin  and  the  foot-hills — the 
country  now  opening  out  into  the  plains, 
or  the  valley  bordering  the  American  River 
— ^we  have  no  more  hills  to  encounter;  yet 
the  country  is  somewhat  uneven,  and  alter 
winding  around,  on  a  regular  grade,  for 
3.91  miles  further,  we  reach  the 

Junction — Roseville  Junction — This 
place  is  18.24  miles  from  Sacramento. 
Here  are  several  stores,  a  hotel,  and  one  of 
the  best  places  on  the  coast  to  establish  a 
flouring  mill.  Using  the  wheat  that  is 
raised  near,  and  finding  a  ready  market  in 
the  mines  to  the  east,  would  have  a  decided 
advantage  in  point  of  location  and  freights 
over  any  other  mill  on  the  coast  At  this 
junction  branches  off  the  Oregon  division 
of  the  Central  Pacific,  north  for  Marysville 
and  Oregon.  The  road  is  completed  to 
Redding,  169  miles,  and  passengers 
can  change  cars  here  if  they  choose,  or  go 
on  to  Sacramento,  as  the  trains  for  the  Ore- 
gon  division  are  made  up  at  that  city,  and 


CROFUTT  S    NEW    OVERLAND    TOURIST 


1G5 


start  on  the  arrival  of  the  morning  train 
from  San  Francisco,  about  '6  p,  m.  We 
shall  take  a  run  over  this  division,  starting 
from  Sacramento.  (See  page  166)  See 
also  map  on  page  120,  and  description 
of  depot  buildings,  page  173. 

Antelope— is  3.9  miles  west.  'The 
country  is  more  level,  and  dotted  here  and 
there  with  varieties  of  oaks.  Passenger 
trains  do  not  stop,  but  pass  on,  and  6.42 
miles  further  come  to 

Arcade — a  mere  side-track. 

Rolling  down  4.56  miles  from  Arcade, 
the  train  slowly  crosses  a  long  stretch  of 
elevated  road,  and  then  on  to  the  Ameri- 
can River  Bridge,  3.36  miles  east  of  Sacra- 
mento—which spans  the  main  stream  of 
the  American  River — and  pass  along  by 
the  orchards  and  gardens  which  fringe  the 
suburbs  of  the  capitol  of  California,  the 
dome  of  which  can  be  seen  on  the  left,  also 
the  State  Agricultural  Fair  Grounds.  The 
long  line  of  machine  shoi)s  belonging  to 
the  Railroad  Company,  on  the  left,  are 
passed,  and  then  we  come  to  the  Sacra- 
mento River,  on  the  right,  with  its  crowded 
wharves,  and  stop  at  the  city  of 

SacramCD  to— Until  the  spring  of 
1870,  this  was  the  western  terminus  of  the 
Grand  Trans-Continental  railroad.  But 
upon  the  completion  of  the  Western  Pa- 
cific, from  Sacramento  to  San  Francisco, 
the  two  roads  were  consolidated  under  the 
name  of  the  Central  Pacific  railroad  of 
California,  making  one  unbroken  line  from 
San  Francisco  to  Ogden, ;  833  miles  long. 
The  distance  from  Sacramento  to  Omaha 
Is  1,776.18  miles;  Stockton,  50  miles; 
San  Francisco  via  Livermore,  138  miles ; 
via  Benicie  89  miles ;  Vallejo,  60  miles ; 
Marysville,  52  miles. 

The  city  is  situated  on  the  east  bank  of 
the  Sacramento  River,  south  of  the  Ameri- 
can, which  unites  with  the  Sacramento  at 
this  point.  It  it  mostly  built  of  brick ;  the 
streets  are  broad,  well- paved,  and  bordered 
with  shade  trees  throughout  a  large  por- 
tion of  the  city.  It  contains  numerous 
elegant  public  and  private  buildings,  in- 
cluding the  State  Capitol  and  county  build- 
ings. Population,  23,000.  Churches,  of 
all  denominations,  are  numerous,  as  well  as 
public  and  private  schools.  There  are  two 
orphan  asylums ;  one  Catholic,  by  the  Sis- 
ters of  St.  Joseph,  and  the  other  Protestant, 
Secret  orders  are  well  represented,  and 
newspapers  are  also  plentiful,  chief  of 
which  are  the  Record  Union  and  the  Bee, 
both  daily  ;  the  Journal — German — is  a 


tri-weekly ;  the  Leader,  the  AgricvZturalist 
and  the  Rescue,  weeklies.  The  city  is 
lighted  with  gas  and  supplied  with  water 
by  two  huge  pumps  in  a  building  just 
north  of  the  depot — with  a  capacity  of 
90,000  gallons  per  hour. 

Hotels  are  numerous,  but  the  principal 
ones  are  the  Eagle,  Arcade,  Orleans  and 
Western.  Free  "Buses"  convey  passen- 
gers from  the  depot  to  any  of  them,  or, 
they  can  ride  past  them  all  on  the  street 
cars.  In  or  near  the  city  are  located 
four  flouring  mills,  six  iron  works,  two 
potteries,  smelting  works,  distilleries, 
plow  works,  planingmills,  and  many  other 
small  factories.  The  Capital  Woolen  Mills 
are  located  here,  and  consist  of  main  build- 
ing, 216  by  60  feet,  with  extention  40  by  60 
ft. ;  total  number  of  spindles,  1,440 ;  employ 
about  65  hands,  and  use  1,000  lbs.  of  wool 
daily. 

The  Johnson  &  Brady  Wine  Co.  work 
up  400  tons  of  grapes  annually.  The  Sac- 
ramento Beet  Sugar  Factory  is  near  the 
cit}r — capacity,  from  80  to  100  tons  per  day; 
main  building,  150  by  63  feet.  The  fac- 
tory grounds  produce  about  700  tons  of  beels 
annually.  The  company  employ,  when 
making  sugar,  200  whites  and  300  Chinese. 

The  principal  machine  shops  of  the 
Central  Pacific  railroad  are  situated,  as  we 
have  seen,  on  the  north  side  of  the  city,  and 
with  the  tracks,  yards,  etc.,  cover  about  20 
acres.  The  buildings  firsL  erected  are  of 
wood,  still  standing  and  in  use.  The  new 
buildings  are  of  brick,  comprising  a  ma- 
chine, car,  paint  and  blacksmith  shops, 
round-house,  and  several  other  buildings. 
Nearly  all  the  cars  used  by  the  company 
are  manufactured  here.  It  is  a  noted  fact 
that  the  cars  on  both  C.  P.  and  U.  P.  R.  R., 
are  far  superior  in  size,  style  and  finish  to 
those  on  the  majority  of  the  Eastern  roads, 
and  for  strength  and  completeness^  of 
the  arrangements  for  comfort  in  riding, 
they  have  no  superior  on  any  road. 

The  hospital  belonging  to  the  Railroad 
Co.,  a  large,  airy  and  comfortable  build- 
ing, is  located  near  the  shops,  where  their 
men  are  taken  care  of  when  sick  or  dis- 
abled. It  is  well  conducted,  a  credit  to 
the  company,  and  of  incalculable  benefit  to 
those  unfortunates  who  are  obliged  to  seek 
its  shelter. 

As  for  the  mercantile  business,  let  a  few 
"figures  talk": 

During  the  year  1881  the  aggregate 
sales  of  all  kinds  of  merchandise  and 
manufactured  wares,  exclusive  of  local  in- 


166 


PACIFIC   COAST   GUIDE. 


t•ronang^  amounted  to  the  sum  of 
$26,000,000.  This  figure  represents  the 
mgjrregate  volume  of  outside  trade. 

The  city  is  laid  out  in  a  regular  square, 
the  streets  running  at  right  angles  fronting 
on  the  Sacramento  River,  which  here  runs 
nearly  north  and  south.  They  are  num- 
bered from  the  river,  1,  2,  3,  etc.  Those 
running  from  the  river  bank,  or  east  and 
west,  are  numbered  with  the  alphabet,  A, 
B,  C,  etc. 

There  is  a  quiet  beauty,  peculiar  to  this 
city  alone,  which  renders  it  attractive  to  the 
most  careless  of  travelers.  Its  well-shaded 
streets;  its  beautiful  gardens,  blooming 
with  an  almost  tropical  luxuriance;  its 
vineyards  and  orchards,  all  combine  to 
form  a  city  such  as  one  rarely  meets  with 
in  California,  and  nowhere  else. 

Sacramento  is  endeared  to  Californians — 
not  by  reason  of  her  ])resent  beauiy  and  pros- 
perity, but  because  she  is  truly  an  American 
city,  whose  people,  by  their  indomitable 
energy  and  perseverance,  have  raised 
this  monument  to  our  national  character, 
despite  the  ravages  of  fire  and  flood.  Not 
only  have  they  re-built  their  city,  but  they 
have  built  the  ground  on  which  it  stands, 
and  to-day  the  city  stands  some  ten  feet 
above  the  original  site  on  which  Sac- 
ramento was  first  established. 

From  the  small  and  unimportant  hamlet 
of  a  few  years  ago,  it  has  emerged  into  a 
thriving,  bustling  city.  Fires  burned  the 
young  city  to  the  ground,  but  it  rose — 
Phoenix  like— more  beautiful  than  ever. 
The  floods  swept  over  it,  as  with  a  besom 
of  destruction,  in  the  winters  of  '51  and 
*52,  and  the  waters  were  rushing  with 
irresistible  force  through  every  street. 
When  they  abated,  the  people  went  to  work 
and  built  levees  around  their  city,  and 
fancied  themselves  secure.  Again  with 
the  floods,  in  the  winter  of  '61  and  '62, 
Sacramento  was  inundated.  To  guai'd 
against  a  recurrence  of  these  evils,  the 
city  bed  was  raised  above  the  highest 
known  tide,  and  instead  of  wearing  away  a 
levee,  the  angry  waters  find  a  solid  mass  of 
earth,  on  which  stands  the  city,  against 
which  their  efforts  at  destruction  are  futile. 
To  one  who  has  not  resided  on  this  coast, 
it  may  at  first  seem  strange  that  a  city 
should  have  been  located  in  the  midst  of 
such  dangers.  When  Sacramento  was  laid 
out,  both  the  Sacramento  and  American 
rivers  had  bold  banks  above  the  reach  of 
any  floods.  But  when  the  thousands  of 
miners    commenced    tearing    down   the 


mountains  and  pouring  the  debris  into  the 
rivers,  the  sediment  gradually  filled  up  the 
river  bed  from  twelve  to  eighteen  feet  above 
its  former  level.  Consequently,  when  the 
spring  sun  unlocked  the  vast  volume  of 
water  confined  in  the  mountain  snows, 
and  sent  it  foaming  and  seething  in  its 
mad  power  to  the  plains,  the  old  and  half, 
filled  channel  could  not  contain  it,  and  a 
large  body  of  country  was  annually  in- 
undated. Levees  were  tried  in  vain;  the 
mighty  torrent  would  not  be  confined; 
hence  the  necessity  of  raising  the  city 
above  its  ravages.  This  has  been  ac- 
complished ;  and  beyond  the  present  line 
of  high  grade,  a  powerful  levee  surrounds 
the  unfilled  portion  of  the  city,  on  which 
is  a  railroad  track,  forming  an  iron  circle  or 
band,  which  no  past  floods  have  had  power 
to  break.  These  levees  are  guarded  and 
kept  in  repair  by  the  Railropd  Company. 
The  State  Capitol— For  a  description 
see  Annex  No.  15,  page  173. 

We  will  now  take  a  run  over  the 
Oregon  Divisioii. 

CENTRAL   PACIFIC    RAILROAD. 

For  time  of  passenger  train  leaving 
Sacramento  see  schedules. 

T^e  trains  run  over  the  Overland  track 
of  the  "Central "  to  Roseville  Junction,  pass- 
ing  all  stations — except  where  signaled — 
until  the  Junction  is  reached. 

Our  road  branches  off  to  the  left  just 
before  the  station  is  reached,  and  stops 
close  on  the  north  side  of  the  building, 
and  we  hear — "  All  aboard  for  Marysville, 
Chico  and  Oregon."  We  suppose  the 
time  is  not  far  distant  (in  the  age  of 
nations)  when  passengers  w  ill  hear,  on  ar- 
riving at  this  station:  "All  aboard  for 
Puget  Sound,  Hudson  Bay,  Alaska  and 
Behring  Straits;  close  connections  made 
with  the  Yankee  Tunnel  Company,  under 
Behring  Straits  for  all  points  in  Russia, 
China,  Japan,  Germany,  England,  France, 
and  the  Holy  Land ! " 

Leaving  the  Junction,  our  course  is 
north ;  we  are  whirled  along  over  a  fine 
road-bed,  in  and  out  amon^  the  foot-hills, 
with  rapid  and  ever-changmg  scenery  on 
either  hand,  through  groves  of  huge  old 
oaks,  with  large  herds  of  sheep  grazing 
about  them,  for  six  miles  to 

Whitney — a  signal  station  in  the  midst 
of  sheep  ranches— cross  Auburn  Ravine, 
and  after  a  run  of  4.5  miles,  come  to 

Lincoln,  which  is  a  village  of  about 


crofutt's  new  overland  tourist 


167 


800  inhabitants.  Just  above  the  station, 
on  the  right,  are  located  extensive  works 
for  making  sewer  pipes,  and  pottery; 
half  a  mile  further,  on  the  same  side,  is  a 
new  coal  mine,  recently  discovered.  A 
little  further  a  turkey  ranche,  and  then,  a 
real  old-fashioned  Vermont  farm,  only 
there  is  a  great  uniformity  in  the  size  of 
the  rocks. 

EwiNG — comes  next,  a  signal  station, 
4.1  miles  from  Lincoln,  where  we  cross 
CrOon  CreeK  and  find  the  land  improving, 
for  3.5  miles,  when  we  come  to 

Sheridan — ^This  place  contains  about 
20  buildings,  situated  on  an  open  plain 
"Where  most  of  the  land  is  used  for  grazing 
purposes.  We  now  cross  Bear  River, 
which  has  broad  bottoms,  much  of  which 
is  covered  with  sand,  and  the  washings 
from  the  mines  above  towards  Grass  Val- 
ley. Here  we  get  a  good  view  of  the 
"Buttes,"  directly  ahead.  After  passing 
over  2.3  miles  from  Sheridan,  we  are  at 

Wheatiland— a  place  very  properly 
named,  as  it  is  situated  in  one  great  wheat- 
field,  with  several  flne^buildings,  a  flouring 
mill,  a  weekly  newspaper — the  Recorder — 
and  an  enterprising  population  of  farmers, 
600  or  more. 

Continuing  along,  through  a  fine  country 
2.6  miles,  we  come  to 

Reed's — a  signal  station  of  a  half-dozen 
buildings.  On  we  go,  through  broad,  rich 
bottom-land,  many  miles  in  width,  4.7 
miles  to 

Yuba — another  signal  station  on  the 
south  bank  of  the  Yuba  River.  Here  we 
cross  a  dyke,  which  extends  up  and  down 
the  river,  as  far  as  you  can  see,  thrown  up 
to  keep  the  river  from  overflowing  its 
banks,  to  the  damage  of  the  surrounding 
country.  The  river  bottom  there  is  a  mile 
in  width,  covered  with  oaks  and  willows, 
across  which  the  road  is  built  on  high  tres- 
tles. Crossing  over,  we  find  another  high 
dyke  on  the  opposite  side,  which  we  cross, 
and  1.9  miles  from  Yuba  signal  station, 
stop  at  the  old  city  of 

Marysville — one  of  the  prettiest  towns 
in  the  State.  It  is  the  county  seat  of  Yuba 
county,  situated  on  the  north  bank  of  the 
Yuba  River,  with  a  population  of  about 
5,000.  It  was  first  settled  in  1849,  and 
named  in  honor  of  the  only  white  woman 
within  its  limits,  Mrs.  Mary  Covilland. 
The  town  is  built  of  brick,  the  streets  wide, 
and  laid  out  at  right  angles.  The  chief 
beauty  of  Marysville  consists  in  the  shrub- 
bery which  ornaments  the  town,  though 


there  are  many  elegant  public  buildings 
and  private  residences  in  the  city.  Scarcely 
will  vou  find  a  dwelling  that  is  not  sur- 
rounded with  a  forest  of  fruit  trees,  includ. 
ing  orange  and  shade  trees,  or  embowered 
in  a  mass  of  vines  and  flx)wers.  The  city 
is  on  a  level  plain,  twelve  miles  from  the 
foot-hills,  and  protected  from  the  spring 
floods  of  the  Yuba  by  a  dyke  or  high  em- 
bankment. The  streets  are  broad  and 
regularly  laid  out.  The  city  supports  one 
daily  paper — the  Appeal — has  several  good 
hotels,  chief  of  which  are  the  United  States 
and  Western.  There  are  two  seminaries, 
four  public,  and  numerous  private  schools ; 
also  five  churches,  nearly  all  denominations 
being  represented.  The  city  is  lighted 
with  gas,  and  supplied  with  water  from  an 
artesian  well  300  feet  deep,  from  which  it 
is  elevated  by  steam  power  to  a  reservoir, 
and  thence  conducted  all  over  the  city.  It 
has  quite  a  number  of  manufactories,  in- 
cluding an  iron  foundry  and  machine 
shop,  where  are  maufactured  all  kinds  of 
mill  machiiiery,  stationary  engines,  &c. 
Agriculture  is  now  the  principal  source  of 
wealth  of  the  country.  Fruit  culture  and 
stock-raisiog  are  very  remunerative. 

Saw-mills  are  numerous  in  the  county, 
as  immense  quantities  of  lumber  are  ship- 
ped from  Marysville.  The  greater  portion 
of  the  mining  is  now  done  by  the  hydraulic 
process.  There  are  15  quartz  mills  in  the 
county,  and  36  companies  owning  canals 
or  mining  ditches,  one  of  which  cost 
$500,000,  and  with  its  branches  is  over  150 
miles  long. 

There  are  regular  stage  lines  from  Marys- 
ville  to  Colusa,  29  miles  west ;  Downieville, 
67  miles  northeast;  North  San  Juan,  38 
miles ;  Grass  Valley,  35  miles :  La  Porte,  65 
miles  from  Marysville. 

The  California  IVortliern  B.  B. 

This  road  brancnesoli  for  Oro-^ille,  north, 
and  runs  to  the  eastward  of  Feather  River, 
through  Honcut,  a  small  place,  and  arrives 
at  Oroville,after  arun  of  26  miles.  This  town 
has  a  population  of  about  1 ,500,  and  is  the 
county  seat  of  Butte  county.  It  is  an  old 
mining  town,  principally  placer  mines, 
which  were  at  one  time  very  rich,  and  in 
some  places  now  are  worked  to  advantage. 
The  Chinese  are  very  thick  in  the  old  pla- 
cer  region,  and  work  these  old  diggings 
over  and  over  again.  The  town  is  em- 
bowered in  fruit  and  shade  trees,  beautiful 
gardens  and  orchards. 

This  county  possesses  some  of  the  finest 


168 


PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


BLOOMER  CUT. 
K5  fe«t  deep  and  SOO  leet  long.    See  page  Itil 

agricultural  land  in  the  State.  All  kinds 
of  grain  and  produce  are  raised  in  abund- 
ance.  The  vineyards  are  numerous,  pro- 
ducing large  quantities  of  wine  and  brandy 
annually.  Rasing  are  produced  in  large 
quantities,  and  an  immense  amount  of  pea- 
nuts are  gathered  for  market  every  year. 
Stock-raising  is  also  an  important  feature. 
Wool  is  a  staple  export  of  the  county. 
Schools  and  churches  are  in  a  flourishing 
condition — a  sure  evidence  of  a  people's 
prosperity.  Stages  leave  Oroville  regularly 
for  La  Porte,  52  miles;  Susanville,  105 
miles;  as  well  as  to  most  of  the  adjoining 
towns. 

Returning  to  Marysville,  we  will  now 
take  a  run  to 

Yuba  City — situated  about  one  mile 
west  of  Marysville,  containing  a  population 
of  about  1,000,  and  located  on  the  eastern 
bank  of  the  Feather  River,  just  above  its 
junction  with  the  Yuba.  It  is  the  county 
geat  of  Sutter  county — first  settled  in  1849. 
The  county  was  named  after  General  Sut- 


ter, the  old  pioneer,  at  whose  mill  race  at 
Coloma,  El  Dorado  county,  on  the  south 
fork  of  the  American  River,  January  19th, 
1848,  the  first  gold  was  discovered  in  Cali- 
fornia. The  county  has  a  populati(>n  of 
about  6,000,  mostly  engaged  in  agriculture. 
The  soil  is  very  fertile,  and  produces  large 
crops  of  wheat,^oats,  and  barley ;  there  are 
also  some  very  fine  vineyards,  producing  a 
superior  quality  of  fruit,  from  which  many 
thousand  gallons  of  wine  and  brandy  are 
made  annually. 

The  city  has  one  newspaper — the  Sutter 
Banner — and  several  hotels.  It  is  at  the 
head  of  steamboat  navigation,  and  is  con- 
nected with  San  Francisco  and  the  world 
by  the  road  over  which  we  came — the 
Oregon  division  of  the  C.  P.,  via.  Marys- 
ville, between  which  cities  a  hack  runs 
regularly. 

The  "  BuTTE«  " — called  the  "Marysville 
Buttes,"  are  a  noted  land-mark  to  the 
westward,  about  ten  miles.  They  consist 
of  a  series  of  peaks  that  rise  from  the 


CROFUTT'S    NEW   OVERLAND    TOURIST 


169 


crest  of  an  isolated  mountain  range,  which 
stands  bold  and  clear  among  the  plains, 
1,000  feet  in  height.  From  appearances, 
one  would  be  led  to  suppose  that  this 
ridge  crossed  the  valley  at  one  time,  when 
this  was  an  inland  sea;  and  when  the 
waters  escaped  from  the  lower  valley, 
those  confined  above  cut  a  portion  of  the 
ridge  down  level  with  the  plain,  and 
escaping,  left  a  beautiful  valley  above. 

From  the  summits  of  their  bald  peaks  a 
fine  view  can  be  had  of  a  great  portion  of 
the  Sacramento  Valley,  including  Mount 
Shasta,  away  to  the  northward,  220 
miles  distant,  in  latitude  41  deg.  30  min., 
an  isolated  and  lofty  volcanic  mountain, 
full  14,440  feet  high.  It  is  covered  with 
perpetual  snow,  and  is  the  head  and  source 
of  the  Sacramento  River.  (See  Annex 
No.  43,  page  214.  To  the  northwest,  in 
the  Coast  Range,  can  be  distinctly 
seen  Mts.  Linn,  St.  John  and  Ripley. 
On  the  south,  Mt.  Diablo,  in  the  Contra 
Costa  range,  while  on  the  east,  from  north 
to  south,  is  the  long  range  of  the  Sierra 
Nevadas,  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach. 

Returning  to  MarysviUe,  we  again  start 
on  our  journey.  One  mile  nortli  of  the 
city  we  cross  the  track  of  the  Oroville  rail- 
road, pass  several  cemeteries  on  the  right, 
also  a  race  track ;  then,  bear  away  to  the 
left — northwest — and  cross  the  Feather 
River  on  a  long  trestle  bridge.  Along  this 
river,  live  oaks  and  sycamore  trees  abound 
by  the  million. 

LoMO — a  flag  station,  comes  first  from 
MarysviUe,  6.8  miles.  Here  are  wheat 
lands  which  continue,  with  an  occasional 
clump  of  trees,  3.9  miles,  to 

Live  Oak — another  side  track,  in  the 
centre  of  some  thousands  of  acres  of  young 
live  oaks,  and  manzanita  shrubs.  Passing 
along  with  the  broad  valley  of  the  Sacra- 
mento on  the  left,  which  stretches  away  as 
far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  and  the  Feather 
River  Valley  on  the  right,  beyond  which  are 
the  lofty  Sierras,  we  reach 

Gridley — which  is  6.5  miles  further 
north.  This  station  has  several  hotels  and 
stores,  a  dozen  residences,  and  a  large  grain 
warehouse,  and  one  flouring  mill,  as,  be  it 
remembered,  we  are  now  in  one  of  the 
great  wheat  sections  of  the  State.  The 
st'ation  was  named  for  a  Mr.  Gridley — 
maybe  it's  "Old  Bob  Gridley" — who 
knows? — who  owns  somewhere  about 
35,000  acres  of  land  adjoining  the  station, 
much  of  which  he  has  worked  by  farmers 
on  a  division  of  crops.  Live  oaks,  big  ores 


are  numerous  all  the  way  for  3.4  miles  to 

Biggs — This  is  a  lively  town  of  about 
1,200  population,  in  the  midst  of  fine  wheat 
lands,  with  extensive  warehouses  for  stor- 
ing and  handling  wheat  in  nearly  all 
seasons.  This  cereal  is  a  large  and  sure 
crop.  Biggs  has  a  weekly  paper— the 
Register — several  hotels,  chief  of  which  is 
the  Planters,  and  a  stage  line  to  Oroville, 
twelve  miles  east;  fare,  $1.00. 

The  place  was  named  for  a  Mr.  Biggs, 
who,  like  the  Mr.  Gridley,  is  troubled  with 
about  30,000  acres  of  this  wheat  land,  much 
of  which  yields,  when  properly  farmed, 
50  bushels  to  the  acre.  Leaving  Biggs  we 
cross  the  big  canal  of  the  Cherokee  Com- 
pany, which  is  18  miles  long  and  400 
feet  wide ;  the  water  is  used  for  hydraulic 
mining,  and  then  for  irrigating  purposes. 

After  a  run  of  ten  miles,  all  the  way 
through  wheat  fields,  we  reach 

Nelson — composed  of  about  a  dozen 
buildings,  surrounded  with  wheat,  wheat, 
all  wheat.  These  fields  extend  far  away 
in  every  direction. 

Passing  along,  we  cross  Butte  Creek, 
and  6.6  miles  from  Nelson,  come  to 

Dunham — Here  is  about  a  dozen  build- 
ings, in  the  midst  of  a  broad  plain  studded 
with  occasional  oaks.  A  flouring  mill  and 
large  warehouses  are  near  the  station. 
Continuing  on  6.1  miles,  and  we  stop  at 
the  beautiml  town  of 

Chico — It  is  48  miles  from  Maiysville,  25 
miles  northwest  from  Oroville,  and  five 
miles  east  of  the  Sacramento  River,  situated 
in  the  Chico  Valley,  Butte  county,  in  the 
midst  of  as  rich  a  farming  section  as  the 
State  affords ;  population  5,000.  The  city 
is  lighted  with  gas,  has  ample  water-works 
situated  near  the  depot,  and  has  several 
banks  and  hotels,  chief  of  which  are  the 
Chico  House  and  the  Union ;  one  daily  pa- 
per, the  Record,  and  one  weekly,  the  En- 
terprise. To  the  eastward  looms  up  the 
Sierra  Nevada  Mountains,  covered  with  a 
dense  forest  of  timber,  in  which  are  many 
sawmills,  the  lumber  from  which  is  floated 
down  to  within  three  miles  of  the  city,  in 
a  "  V  "  flume,  35  miles  in  length.  The 
streets  are  lined  with  shade  trees,  groves  of 
oaks,  and  orchards  and  gardens  are  on 
every  hand.  Near  the  town,  General  Bid- 
well,  the  old  pioneer,  has  an  extensive 
ranche — or  farm,  as  it  would  be  called  in 
the  Eastern  States — which  is  in  a  very 
high  state  of  cultivation,  producing  abun- 
dantly all  kinds  of  fruits  and  plants  of 
the  temperate  and  semi-tropical  climes. 


170 


PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


Stage  routes  from  Chico  are  numerous. 
Six-horse  coaches,  in  summer,  leave  for 
Oroville,  25  miles;  Butteville,  Plumas 
Co.,  63  miles;  fare,  10  cents  per  mile. 
Stages  leave  for  Diamondville,  eleven 
miles;  Butte  Creek,  13  miles;  and  Hell- 
town,  14  miles ;  also,  for  Dayton,  six  miles; 
Jacinto,  14  miles;  Germantown,  13  miles; 
Willows,  56  miles;  Colusa,  40  miles;  Wil- 
liams, 49  miles;  Allen,  55  miles;  and  Bart- 
lette  Springs,  58  miles.  Stages  run  Mon- 
days, Wednesdays  and  Fridays,  to  St.  John, 
ten  miles;  Orland,  23  miles;  Olimpo,  80 
miles;  Coast  Eange,  35  miles;  Newville, 
40  miles.  The  average  fare  to  all  these 
places  is  ten  cents  per  mile. 

Leaving  Chico,  our  course  is  more  west- 
ward for  seven  miles  to 

NoBD — a  small  station  about  three  miles 
east  of  the  Sacramento  River.  Next  comes 
a  side-track,  2.3  miles  further,  called 

Anita — and  2.4  miles  further 

Cana — ^This  place  has  a  population  of 
about  100,  most  of  whom  are  farmers,  as 
wheat  fields  are  still  the  rule.  On,  2.8 
miles  further  comes 

Soto— near  Deer  Creek,  and  4.3  miles 
from 

Vina — a  small  station  near  the  Sacra- 
mento River,  in  the  center  of  a  very  fertile 
region  and  a  great  point  for  gram  ship- 
ments. 

Continuing  on  7.5  miles  further,  crossing 
several  small  creeks,  passing  some  oaks  and 
willows  along  the  creeks,  we  come  to 

Sesma — a  side-track,  on  the  east  bank  of 
Sacramento  River,  which  we  cross,  and 
stop  at 

Tehama— on  the  west  bank  of  Sacra- 
mento River,  where  boats  often  land,  being 
a  thriving  town  of  about  700  population. 
The  Tocsin  heralds  the  news  daily  in  clar- 
ion tones,  that  all  may  learn  that  Tehama 
has  a  live  daily  newspaper.  The  place 
was,  in  earl^  days,  known  as  "  Hall  Cross- 
ing." Agriculture  is  the  principal  feature 
of  the  place,  although  the  lumber  business 
is  an  important  item.  A  "  V  "  flume  brings 
the  lumber  down  from  the  mills  in  theSierras 
on  the  northeast,  a  distance  of  forty  miles, 
with  a  capacity  of  40,000  feet  per  dav.  The 
country  is  very  fertile.  Live  oaks  are 
numerous. 

Lassen's  Peak,  to  the  northeast,  is  a  prom- 
inent feature  of  the  landscape,  as  it  rises 
10,578  feet  above  sea  level,  which  would  be 
about  10,000  feet  higher  than  Tehama. 
Continuing  along  12.1  miles  further,  cross- 
ing several  small  creeks,  we  come  to 


Red  Bluffs — the  county  seat  of  Tehama 
county,  at  the  head  of  navigation  on  the 
Sacramento  River,  with  a  population  of 
about  2,000.  It  is  situated  in  the  midst  of 
rich  agricultural  and  grazing  land,  wiUi 
many  thriving  vineyards  and  several  hotel% 
chief  of  which  are  the  Tremont  and  Red 
Bluffs  Hotel ;  also  two  weekly  newspapers, 
the  Sentinel  and  the  People's  Cause.  Lum. 
ber  is  an  important  industry,  and  the  man- 
ufacture of  doors,  sash  and  blinds  is  carried 
on  to  a  great  extent  Mt.  Shasta,  to  the 
north,  is  a  prominent  object, rising  up  out 
of  the  valley. 

Continuing  along,  crossing  several  little 
creeks,  bearing  away  more  to  the  westward, 
10.3  miles,  we  come  to 

Hooker — a  signal  station,  4.9  miles 
from 

Buckeye — another  signal  station,  la. 
cated  1.8  miles  from 

Cottonwood — ^This  is  a  small  village  In 
Shasta  county,  of  about  300  population, 
situated  on  Cottonwood  Creek,  about  five 
miles  west  of  the  Sacramento  River. 

Turning  more  to  the  northeast,  a  short 
run  of  7.6  miles  brings  us  to 

Anderson's — a  village  of  about  200  pop- 
ulation,  6.3  miles  from 

Cle.^\jr  Creek — a  small  station  on  a 
creek  of  that  name,  which  comes  in  from 
the  west,  and  after  4.8  miles  furttier,  we 
come  to  the  end  of  the  road  at 

Redding — ^This  place  was  named  for  the 
land  commissioner  of  the  railroad  com- 
pany. This  is  the  terminus  of  the  road, 
having  a  population  of  about  500. 

Redding  is  308  miles  north  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, 275  miles  south  of  Roseburg ,  Oregon, 
and  475  miles  from  Portland. 

Stages  leave  Redding  daily,  with  passen- 
ger, mails  and  express,  for  iioseburg,  and 
all  intermediate  places,  distance  275  miles. 
At  Roseburg  connections  are  made  with 
the  Oregon  &  California  railroad,  for  Port- 
land, 200  miles  further.  Fare  to  Roseburg 
from  Redding,  $41.25. 

This  region  is  fertile  in  subject  matter 
for  our  book,  but  we  arelimited  as  to  space, 
and  with  this  hasty  glance  at  the  most  im- 
portant features  of  the  country,  now  re- 
turn to  the  city  of  Sacramento,  and  again 
start  out  on  another  route. 


Up  the  Sacramento  River* 

Stepping  on  board  a  light  draft  steam- 
boat, at  the  wharf  in  Sacramento,  we  are 
off  for  a  trip  by  water. 


CEOFUTT  S    NEW    OVERLAND    TOURIST 


171 


About  the  first  thing  to  attract  the  atten- 
tion of  the  traveler  after  leaving  the  city, 
will  be  the 

"Tun.ES,"  which  is  the  native  name 
given  to  the  rushes  which  cover  the  low 
lands  and  bavs  of  California.  They  are  of 
the  bulrush  family,  probably  the  father  of 
all  rushes.  They  grow  from  six  to  ten 
feet  high,  and  so  thick  on  the  ground  that 
it  is  extremely  difficult  to  pass  among 
them.  The  lands  on  which  they  grow  are 
subject  to  annual  overflows.  During  the 
prevalence  of  the  floods,  miles  and  miles  of 
these  lands  are  under  water,  presenting  the 
appearance  of  one  vast  lake  or  inland  sea. 
In  the  fall  and'  early  winter,  when  the 
tuiles  are  dry,  they  are  often  set  on  fire, 
forming  a  grand  and  terrible  spectacle,  es- 
pecially during  the  night.  When  once  the 
fire  attains  headway,  nothing  can  quench 
its  fury  until  the  tuiles  are  swept  away  to 
the  bank  of  some  water-course,  which  bars 
its  further  progress. 

The  soil  composing  the  land  is  adobe,  of 
a  purely  vegetable  mold.  Wherever  it 
has  been  reclaimed,  it  produces  grain  and 
vegetables  in  almost  fabulous  quantities. 

It  is  claimed  by  many,  that,  with  proper 
appliances,  these  lands  could  be  converted 
into  magnificent  rice  fields ;  the  advocates 
of  this  measure  asserting  that  they  possess 
every  requisite  of  soil,  clime,  and  adapta- 
bility to  irrigation.  The  State  has  pro- 
vided for  a  system  of  levees,  by  which  a 
large  amount  of  land,  heretofore  known  as 
tuile  land,  has  been  successfully  reclaimed, 
and  is  now  counted  the  most  valuable  in 
the  State. 

The  country,  after  leaving  Sacramento, 
is  level  for  a  vast  distance  on  either  hand ; 
the  "tuiles "  are  disappearing,  and,  before 
we  reach  Knight's  Landing,  the  left-hand 
shore  is  more  bold^  and  the  wheat-fields 
and  gardens  have  taken  the  place  of  "tuiles" 
along  the  river  bank. 

We  have  already  been  to  Marysville  by 
railroad,  now  let  us  go  via  Feather  River, 
a  beautiful  stream,  its  clear  waters  contrast- 
ing advantageously  with  the  muddy  waters 
of  the  river'we  have  left.  We  pass  through 
a  fine  country  with  wheat  farms  on  the 
higher  lands,  and  reach  Nicholas,  a  dull, 
quiet  town  of  about  300  inhabitants,  situa- 
ted at  the  junction  of  Bear  River  with  the 
Feather.  Proceeding  up  the  Feather,  we 
pass  HOCK  FARM,  the  home  of  the  venerable 
pioneer  of  California,  General  Sutter.  It 
18  a  lovely  place — the  old  farm-house  and 
iron    fort    standing    on  the  bank    of  the 


stream.  Enormous  fig  trees  line  the  bank, 
while  behind  them  can  be  seen  the  fine 
orchards  and  vineyards  planted  by  the- 
General  over  50  years  ago.  General 
Sutter  settled  in  California  under  a  grant 
from  the  Russian  Government,  which  con- 
veyed to  him  lar^e  tracts  of  land  around 
Sacramento  City,  including  the  city  site ; 
also  a  large  tract,  of  which  Hock  Farm  is 
a  part.  Sharpers  and  swindlers  deprived 
the  old  pioneer  of  most  of  his  property, 
leaving  him  penniless,  and  a  pensioner  on 
the  State. 

Passing  on  by  the  junction  of  the  Yuba 
and  Feather  rivers,  we  soon  reach  Yuba 
near  Marysville,  65  miles  from  Sacramento, 
by  water.  (See  description  on  page  167) 
Returning  to  the  Sacramento,  the  right- 
hand  baSk  of  the  river  appears  low  and 
swampy,  covered  with  "  tuiles  "  for  a  great 
distance  inland.  Passing  on,  we  soon  ai- 
rive  at 

Knight's  Landing — a  small  place — 46 
miles  from  Sacramento.  Population  about 
200.  It  is  quite  a  shipping  point  for  Yolo 
county,  and  is  on  the  line  of  the  California 
Pacific  railroad.  This  road,  in  1873-4,  ex- 
tended to  Marysville,  crossing  the  river  at 
this  point,  but  the  floods  washed  away  the 
road-bed  on  the  east  side  of  the  river.  The 
road  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  "  Central'^ 
Company,  who  had  a  road  to  Marysville 
via  the  Rosevllle  Junction.  So  it  never  was 
repaired,  but  the  bridge  turned  to  allow  a 
free  passage  of  the  river  boats,  and  has 
been  so,  for  the  last  four  years,  and  probably 
will  so  remain  until  it  rots  down. 

For  a  long  distance  above  Knight's 
Landing,  the  low  marshy  plains  continue 
on  our  riglit,  the  higher  land  covered  with: 
wheat  on  our  left,  with  no  towns  of  anyr 
importance  to  note  until  we  arrive  at 

Colusa — This  is  a  point  of  considerable- 
trade — 125  miles  from  Sacramento.  It  is- 
the  county  seat  of  Colusa  county,  situated 
on  the  west  bank  of  the  Sacramento  River,, 
and  contains  about  1 , 500  inhabitants.  The- 
Colusa  JSun  is  published  here. 

The  town  was  laid  out  in  1850,  by  Col- 
onel Semple,  the  owner  of  the  "Colusa. 
Grant" — containing  two  Spanish  leagues. 
It  is  now  the  center  of  a  very  large  farming: 
and  grazing  country.  Schools  and  churche* 
are  well  represented.  Stages  run  dail}^  be- 
tween Colusa  and  Marysville — 29  miles; 
also  to  Williams,  nine  miles  west. 

Passing  on  up  the  river,  the  country 
seems  to  gradually  change  to  a  grazing. 


172 


PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


instead  of  a  grain  countiy,  more  especially 
on  the  west. 

About  200  miles  further  and  we  reach  the 
Landing  of  Chico — but  we  have  already 
described  the  town  on  page  186,  so  we  will 
pass  on.  On  the  right-hand  side,  the  shores 
are  low  and  sedgy  most  of  the  way,  fit  only 
for  grazing  when  the  floods  have  subsided ; 
yet  we  pass  intervals  of  grain  fields  till  we 
arrive  at  Eed  Blufi's— 270  miles  from  Sac- 
ramento, at  the  head  of  navigation.  See 
description  of  the  town  on  page  170. 

We  will  now  return  to  the  city  of  Sac- 
ramento, and  there  take  another  route. 

]>oir]i  the  Hacramento  River. 

Stepping  on  board  of  a  large  passenger 
and  freight  boat,  we  start  down  the  river 
towards  San  Francisco.  The  plains  stretch 
away  on  either  hand,  and  there  is  little  to 
be  seen  except  the  gardens  and  farms  along 
the  banks  on  the  higher  ground,  the  wide 
waste  of  "tuiles,"  and  the  plains  and  moun- 
tains beyond.  On  the  left — away  in  the 
dim  distance,  the  hills  succeed  the  plains, 
the  mountains  the  hills,  until  the  vast  pile 
towers  among  the  clouds. 

Winding  around  cui-ves,  where  the  stern 
of  the  boat  is  swept  by  the  willows  on  the 
shore,  we  glide  down  the  river,  past 
sloughs,  creeks,  and  tuile  swamps,  until  we 
pass  Fheeport,  12  miles  from  the  city,  a 
little  hamlet  of  half  a  dozen  dwellings. 

Floating  along  between  the  low  banks, 
covered  with  willow  and  shrub,  we  pass 
Mississippi  Bend— 24  miles  from  Sac- 
ramento. Here  the  river  makes  one  of  its 
numerous  curves,  almost  doubling  back  on 
itself. 

To  the  left  is  the  little  town  of  Rich- 
land, containing  a  half-dozen  dwellings. 
Now  the  Nevada  Mountains  fall  behind, 
a,nd  we  have  one  vast  plain  around  us. 
We  pass  the  outlet  of  Sutter's  Slough,  and 
then  the  Hog's  Back — a  long  sand-bar, 
which  stretches  diagonally  across  the 
river.  The  water  here  is  very  shoal.  A 
wing  dam  has  been  built  from  the  western 
shore,  half  way  across  the  channel,  which 
throws  the  water  into  a  narrow  compass, 
giving  greater  depth  to  the  bar.  Next 
comes  Cache  Creek  Slough,  on  which  large 
quantities  of  grain  are  shipped  to  San 
Francisco  via  Sacramento  River,  from  Yolo 
^nd  Solano  counties.  Now  we  are  passing 
«,long  by  the  Rio  Vista  hills,  which  come 
close  to  the  water's  edge  on  the  right-hand 
shore.  These  hills  are  the  first  we  have  seen 
near  the  river  since  leaving  the  city.   They 


consist  of  one  long,  low  ridge,  broken  into 
hillocks  on  its  crest.  These  hills  are  ex- 
cellent wheat  land,  yielding  an  abundant 
harvest.  The  land  is  very  valuable,  though 
but  a  few  years  have  passed  since  it  was 
sold  for  25  cents  per  acre.  The  town  of 
Rio  Vista  is  situated  on  the  slope  of  the 
foot-hills,  and  contains  about  300  in- 
habitants. Formerly  the  town  stood 
on  the  low  ground,  near  the  river  bank, 
but  the  flood  of  '62  washed  it  away,  car- 

?ring  from  40  to  60  houses  down  the  river, 
he  people  fled  to  the  high  lands,  where 
they  remained  until  the  passing  steamers 
took  them  away.  For  days  the  little 
steamer  Rescue  was  plying  up  and  down 
the  river,  running  far  out  over  the  sub- 
merged plains,  picking  up  the  "stragglers," 
who  were  suiTounded  by  the  waters.  Some 
were  found  on  the  house-roofs,  with  the 
flood  far  up  the  sides  of  their  dwell- 
ings, and  others  were  rescued  from  the 
branches  of  trees,  which  aflbrded  them 
the  only  resting-place  above  the  waters. 
The  flood  of  '62  will  long  be  re- 
membered by  those  who  then  dwelt  on  the 
banks  of  the  Sacramento. 

We  next  pass  Colmngsville,  a  long 
wharf  on  the  right-hand  side  of  the  river, 
with  a  house  or  two  standing  close  by.  It 
is  .a  point  of  shipment  of  considerable 
freight,  for  the  country,  and  grain  for  the 
city.  A  little  below  this  point,  the  San 
Joaquin  River  unites  with  the  Sacrafhento, 
entering  from  the  left,  forming  Suisun 
Bay  (pronounced  Soo-e-soon). 

Antioch— just  across  the  bay — is  in 
Contra  Costa  county;  population,  500. 
Three  miles  south,  by  railroad,  are  the 
Mount  Diablo  coal  mines,  which  yield 
large  quantities  of  coal. 

There  are  several  manufactories  of  pot- 
tery  in  the  town — the  clay  in  the  vicinity 
being  a  very  superior  article.  The  Ledger ^ 
a  weekly  paper,  is  published  here.  Atten- 
tion has  lately  been  attracted  to  the  silk 
culture,  and  many  thousand  mulberry  trees 
have  been  planted. 

Passing  on  down  the  bay,  we  enter  the 
Straits  of  Carquinez,  when  a  long,  low 
wharf  on  the  right  attracts  our  attention. 
It  is  fronting  the  old  town  of  Benicie, 
of  which  more  hereafter. 

Passing  on  down  tha  strai'w  we 
have  a  fine  view  of  Vallejo,  which 
lies  to  our  right,  near  where  we  enter 
San  Pablo  Bay.  Turning  to  the  left,  23 
miles  more  brings  us  to  San  Francisco. 
But  we  must  return  to  Sacramento  and 


PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


173 


Take  the  old  Overland  Roate, 

Via  Stockton  and  Livermore  Pass. 
Leaving  Sacramento,  the  route  is 
along  the  east  bank  of  the  Sacramento 
Biver,  through  well-cultivated  gar- 
dens, orchards  and  vineyards  5.7  miles 
to 

Brighton.— Here  we  learn  that  the 
cars  of  the  Sacramento  Valley  rail- 
road, managed  by  the  Central  Pacific 
Company,  run  down  on  the  same  track 
as  the  "Central"  to  this  station,  where 
they  branch  olf.  Let  us  step  into 
them,  and  see  where  they  go.  Patter- 
son's is  five  miles;  Salsbury's  six 
miles ;  Alder  Creek,  three  miles,  and 
three  more  to 

FoLsoM— twenty-five  miles  east  from 
Sacramento,  in  Sacramento  county, 
on  the  south  bank  of  the  American 
River;  population  about 2,000.  Vine 
culture  is  an  important  industry. 
Some  of  the  finest  vineyards  in  the 


State  are  located  here,  including  the 
Natoma,  which  is  celebrated  for  its 
fine  quality  of  raisins  and  wine.  To 
the  north  and  east  of  the  town  placer 
mining  is  the  principal  business ;  to  the 
south  and  west,  farming  and  grazing. 

There  are  extensive  granite  quarries 
in  the  vicinity.  From  the  bed  of  the 
river,  near  this  point,  large  quantities 
of  cobble-stones  have  been  obtained, 
for  paving  the  streets  of  Sacramento 
and  San  Francisco. 

Folsom  is  ornamented  with  fruit  and 
shade  trees,  and  has  many  fine  public 
and  private  buildings,  with  magnifi- 
cent scenery.  Regular  stages  leave 
for  Coloma,  daily,  via  Mormon  Island, 
Salmon  Falls  and  Greenwood  Valley, 
twenty-four  miles  distant. 


The  Indians  call  the  telegraph  the  "whispering 
spirit." 

Emigrants,  on  the  plains,  are  called,  by  the 
Q^der  settlers,  "pilgrims. " 


'So.  15  Annex.  State  Capitol  of  Cali- 
fornia.—This  is  one  of  the  first  objects  which 
meets  the  eye  when  approaching  Sacramento 
from  the  east.  It  is  a  conspicuous  landmark. 
The  building  occupies  the  center  of  four  blocks, 
bounded  by  10th  and  12th,  and  by  L  and  N 
streets .  The  grounds  form  three  terraces ,  shghtly 
elevated  above  each  other,  and  connected  by  easy 
flights  of  steps.  They  are  regularly  laid  out,  and 
covered  with  a  beautiful  sward,  closely  shaven 
by  the  lawn-cutter.  They  are  interplanted  with 
shrubs  and  evergreen  trees.  The  outer  border  of 
the  lowest  terrace  is  studded  with  flowers.  Its 
front  is  toward  10th  stieet,  and  is  350  feet  long. 
Approaching  it  from  this  point  you  may  regard 
it  as  a  great  central  building,  from  which  rises 
the  lofty  dome,  and  having  on  each  side  a  large 
wing.  A  flight  of  granite  steps,  25  feet  high  by 
80  feet  in  width,  leads  to  a  front  portico  of  ten 
columns,  through  which,  and  a  large  hall,  the 
rotunda  of  72  feet  diameter  is  found  in  the  cen- 
ter ;  and  from  this,  in  each  story,  halls,  elegantly 
arched,  extend  through  the  front  and  wings,  the 
State  offices  being  on  either  side.  Five  female 
figures  ornament  the  front  above  the  columns. 
The  central  one  is  standing,  the  remaining  four 
are  in  sitting  postures.  They  represent  war, 
science,  agriculture  and  mining.  The  wings 
forming  the  flanks  of  the  building  are  164  feet 
above  the  first  or  basement  story.  The  north 
and  south  flanks  of  the  building  form,  respect- 
ively, the  Assembly  and  Senate  chambers,  the 
former  being  82x72,  and  the  latter  72x62.  In 
the  rear  center,  a  circular  projection  of  60  feet 
diameter  forms  the  State  Library.  The  first 
story  of  25  feet  is  of  white  granite,  from  neigh- 
boring quarries,  and  is  surmounted  by  a  cornice 
of  the  same.  Above  this  the  body  of  the  main 
dome  is  surrounded  by  an  open  balcony,  which 
is  supported  by  24  fluted  Corinthian  columns 
and  an  equal  number  of  pilasters.  Above  this 
balcony  the  body  of  the  dome  is  supported  by  an 
equal  number  of  ornamental  pilasters.  From 
these  rises  the  great  metallic  dome.    From  the 


top  of  this  dome  in  turn  rise  12  fluted  Corinthian 
pillars,  which  support  the  final  or  small  dome, 
and  this  is  surmounted  by  the  statue  of  Cali- 
fornia. 

The  whole  interior  is  one  soUd  mass  of  iron 
and  masonry.  The  dome  of  the  interior  rotunda, 
which  is  of  iron  ornaments  and  brick  work,  is 
exceedingly  handsome.  The  panels  and  pedestals 
under  the  windows  are  of  the  beautiful  laurel, 
well  known  in  California  for  its  susceptibiUty  to 
receive  a  high  polish.  All  the  first  floor  doors 
are  of  walnut,  with  laurel  panels,  as  are  also  the 
sashes  throughout  the  building.  The  stories  are, 
respectively,  21  feet  6  inches,  20  feet,  and  18 
feet  in  height.  It  covers,  with  its  angles,  nearly 
60,000  surface  feet  of  ground,  and  measures 
over  1,200  lineal  feet  round  in  all  the  angles. 
See  large  illustration.  No.  16. 

No.  58  Annex.— Xew^  Sacramento  De- 
pot.—From  page  165.— The  Central  Company 
have  completed  a  depot  at  Sacramento,  that  is 
the  largest,  finest  and  most  commodious  on  the 
Pacific  Coast.  It  is  constructed  of  the  best  ma- 
terial and  in  the  most  substantial  manner.  It  is 
situated  about  midway  between  the  bridge  over 
the  Sacramento  river  and  the  company's  shops, 
fronts  north,  on  ground  filled  in  and  specially 
prepared  for  that  purpose.  The  main  building 
is  416  feet  long,  and  70  feet  6  inches  wide,  two 
story.  The  front  has  four  large  arches  in  the 
center,  and  eight  smaller  ones  on  each  side. 
Three  tracks  run  through  the  building,  and  a 
platform  22  feet  wide.  In  the  rear  is  an  annex, 
160  feet  long,  and  35  feet  wide,  one  story,  in 
which  is  a  dining-room,  40x55  feet,  14  feet  high, 
two  waiting-rooms,  26x35  feet.  On  the  first  floor 
are  ticket,  sleeping-car,  and  telegraph  offices, 
lunch  counter  and  baggage-room,  news-room,  etc. 
The  second  story  is  occupied  by  the  offices  oif  the 
Sacramento  Valley  Railroad,  Supt.  of  Division  of 
the  C.  P.,  Train  Dispatchers,  Conductors,  Rooms . 
for  Storage,  Stationery,  etc.  _  * 

Sacramento  is  now  a  regular  eating  station. 


174 


PACIFIC  COAST   GUIDE. 


ii'assing  on  seven  miles  to  White  Kecks, 
eight  to  Latrobe,  and  eleven  to  Shingle 
Springs,  brings  us  to  the  end  of  the  rail- 
road, 49  miles  from  Sacramento. 

PiACERViLLB.— is  twelve  miles  flrom 
Shingle  Springs,  with  which  it  is  connects 
ed  with  daily  stages.  It  is  the  county 
»eat  of  El  Dorado  county,  60  miles  east  of 
Sacramento,  at  an  altitude  of  1,880  feet 
above  tide — present  population,  about 
2,000. 

Who  has  not  heard  of  Placerville,  El 
Dorado  county  ?  It  was  in  this  county,  at 
(yoloma,  eight  miles  northeast  of  the  city, 
where  the 

First  gold  discovery — was  made  Jan- 
uary, 19th,  1848— by  J .  W.  Marshall,  in  the 
mill  race  of  General  Sutter.  The  au 
nouncement  of  this  discovery  caused  the 
mldest  gold  fever  excitement  eoer  ect/peri- 
meed  not  only  in  America,  but  in  every 
part  of  the  civilized  world. 

TTie  news  of  these  rich  discoveries  sped 
with  the  wings  of  the  wind,  and  thousands, 

J^es,  tens  of  thousands,  in  the  Atlantic  States 
eft  homes,  friends,  and  all  they  held  dear, 
to  make  their  fortunes  in  this,  the  new  El 
Dorado.  With  many  the  excitement  be- 
came intense,  ships,  steamers,  barks,  brigs, 
and  all  manner  of  sailing  vessels  were  char- 
tered or  purchased  for  a  trip  "around  the 
Horn ;"  and  no  sacrifice  was  thought  to  be 
too  much  to  make  to  procure  the  necessary 
outfit  for  the  expedition.  Again  there  were 
thousands  who,  choosing  the  land,  boldly 
struck  out  toward  the  setting  sun  to  cross  the 
then  almost  unknown  trackless  deserts, 
and  pathless  mountains.  Horses,  mules 
and  cattle  were  pressed  into  service,  as  well 
as  all  kinds  of  conveyances,  while  many 
started  with  hand-carts,  propelling  them 
themselves,  upon  which  they  packed  their 
tools  and  provisions  for  the  trip.  Again, 
others  started  on  foot,  with  only  what  they 
could  pack  on  their  backs,  ^^trusting  to 
luck:'  Very  few,  if  any,  had  a  thought  of 
the  privations  to  be  endured,  or  the  obsta- 
cles to  be  overcome,  so  anxious  were  they 
to  arrive  at  the  Land  of  Qold. 

Those  who  came  by  water,  passed  in  at 
the  Qolden  Gate,  and  up  the  Sacramento, 
while  those  by  land  came  pouring  over  the 
Sierra  Nevada  Mountains,  by  natural 
passes,  down,  down  into  this  beautiful  val- 
ley, where  a  city  of  many  thousands  sud- 
denly sprang  into  existence.  From  a  "lit- 
tle unpleasantness"  the  place  was  first 
known  as  "Hangtown,"  but  in  1852  it  was 
Changed  to  Placerville,  which  indicated  at 


that  time,  the  nature  of  the  mftiing  done 
in  the  vicinity.  Of  the  many  thousands 
who  started  across  the  plains  and  moun- 
tains, hundreds  died  by  the  wayside,  and 
were  buried  by  their  companions,  while 
the  greater  number  were  "lost"  by  the 
hand  of  the  friendly  Indian  or  the  Tioiiils 
Mormon. 

It  has  been  estimated,  and  we  think  cor- 
rectly, could  the  bones  of  these  emigrants 
be  collected,  and  those  of  their  animals,  to- 
gether with  their  wagons  and  carts,  in  one 
continuous  line,  between  the  Missouri 
river  and  the  Pacific  coast,  since  the  rush 
Commenced  in  184t8,  they  would  be  mort 
numerous  and  closer  together  than  the  tele- 
graph poles  on  the  line  of  the  Pacific  rail- 
road across  the  Continent 

The  early  mining  done  about  Placerville 
was  done  by  hand,  the  pan,  rocker,  and 
long  Tom;  these  have  long  since  given 
place  to  the  quartz  mills — there  are  32  in 
the  county — and  the  hydraulic  process, 
by  which  nearly  all  the  mining  is  now 
done. 

Vine  culture  and  fruit  culture  are  now 
the  most  important  occupations  of  the  peo- 
ple of  the  county.  Fresh  and  dried  fruits 
are  shipped  by  the  hundreds  of  tons,  while 
the  annual  crop  of  wine  and  brandy  pro- 
duced is  over  300,000  gallons. 

Placerville  contains  a  goodly  number  of 
schools,  and  churches  of  almost  every  de- 
nomination, including  a  "Joss  House.'* 
The  difi*erent  secret  orders  are  well  repre- 
sented, and  two  newspapers,  the  Demoorat 
and  the  Republican^  make  ttieir  appearance 
every  week. 

Placerville  is  situated  in  what  is  known  as 
the  foot-hills  as  the  chain  of  broken 
land  is  called,  which  lies  between  the 
Sierra  Mountains  and  the  plains,  extend- 
ing from  Fresno  county  on  the  south, 
through  Tuolumne,  Calaveras,  Amador,' 
El  Dorado,  Placer,  Nevada,  Yuba,  Butte 
to  Tehama,  on  the  north,  comprising  nearly 
one-fourth  of  the  arable  land  of  the  State. 
The  soil  is  altogether  diflferentf^om  that  of 
the  valleys,  being  generally  of  a  red,  gravelly 
claj^  and  sandy  loam.  In  the  little  valleys 
which  are  found  among  these  hills,  the  soil 
is  generally  a  black  loam — the  product  of 
the  mountain  washings.  Experiments, 
l^owever,  have  decided  the  fact  that  these 
foot-hills  are  the  natural  vineyards  of  Cali- 
fornia. In  El  Dorado  and  Placer  coun- 
ties, on  these  sandy  foot-hills  are  now  the 
finest  vineyards  in  the  State,  from  which  are 
manufactured     fine  wines    and    raisins. 


croputt's  nbw  otkrulnd  tourist 


175 


Hbn  among  these  hills  are  aa  oozj 
homes  as  one  could  wish  to 
hare,  where  grain,  yegetables  and  all 
kinds  of  frnit  are  raised  in  abundance, 
while  thousands  of  acres  are  lying  raoant 
awaiting  tho  emigrant 

The  mulbery  tree  and  the  silkworm  are 
cultivated  to  some  extent  in  the  foot-hills, 
and  this  branch  of  industry  is  lately  re- 
ceiyin^  considerable  attention. 

Again  we  return  to  the  Trans^kti- 
NKNTAL,  which  we  left  at  Brighton. 

Florin— is  four  miles  from  Brighton. 
The  many  new  buildings  the  well-cultiva- 
ted  fields,  the  raisin  grape  vineyards,  all 
denote  a  spirit  of  progress  in  the  settlers, 
that  would  seem  to  say,  •*  We  Tiave  oonu  here 
to  stay:' 

The  traveler  has  probably  noticed  several 
windmills  along  the  road,  before  arriving 
at  this  station.  The  California  Wikix- 
iciLL  is  a  great  institution  in  its  way.  It 
■eems  to  have  been  brought  to  a  greater 
■tate  of  perfection  on  this  coast  than  any- 
where else.  From  this  place  we  will  find 
their  numbers  to  increase  until  we  get  to 
the  •'Windmill  City,"  as  Stockton  is  often 
called,  where  they  can  be  seen  in  great 
numbers,  in  every  direction.  Many  times 
Uie  water  is  pumped  into  reservoirs  built  on 
the  tops  of  the  houses,  resembling  a  cupola 
from  which  pipes  take  the  water  to  the 
different  rooms  throughout  the  house  and 
grounds ;  the  waste  water  is  conducted  in- 
to the  gardens  and  fields  for  irrigating 
gnrposes.  These  mills  are  numerous  In 
an  Francisco  and  throughout  the  State. 
I^rom  Florin  it  is  6.2  miles  to 

£lk  €rroTe— Here,  too,  many  recent 
improvements  are  noticeable.  In  a  clear 
day  the  snow-capped  Sierras,  on  the  left 
Can  be  plainly  seen,  and  away  to  the  sonth 
00  miles  distant. 

Mount  Diablo  rising  clear  and  grand 
from  out  the  plains,  an  unerring  pilot  to 
those  who  wandered  across  these  once 
trackless  plains  that  now  are  teeming  with 
life  and  industry.  It  is  situated  m  the 
Contra  Costa  range  of  mountains,  and  istha 
meridian  point  in  the  land  surveys  of  the 
Btate.  Elevation  3,876  feet  The  view  from 
ttie  summit  includes  the  country  and  towns 
around  San  Francisco,  San  Pablo 
and  Suiaun  baya,  and  the  valleys  of  the 
Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin  Rivera.  It 
is  reaclMd  by  rail  or  steamboata  from 
San  Fnnciaoo,  Stockton  or  Sacramento. 

The  beantffril  valley  through  which  th(' 
road  passes  is  now  spreadijie:  out  before  u^ 


idU  wo  begdi  to  realfze  tfiat  nature  Mm 
done  much  for  this  "sunset  land." 

McConnell's— is  a  small  station  8J 
milea  from.  Elk  Grove.  Near  are  large 
Helds,  where  cattle  and  sheep  are  fed  and 
fattened  for  market 

Before  reaching  the  next  station,  wt 
fcioss  Cosumnes  River,  which  rises  in  the 
tnountains  to  the  northeast  The  bottom 
ianda  are  very  wide,  and  covered  with 
both  white  and  live  oaks,  and  near  Uie 
stream  with  willows.  The  water  gets  very 
high  in  the  spring-time,  and  very  low  in 
the  summer. 

I  Oalt— a  station  with  a  few  dozen  build* 
Ings,  large  warehouses,  big  cattle  pens,  and 
ihutes  for  loading  cattle  and  sheep— is  7.7 
miles  from  McConnell's.  At  this  station 
'we  find  the 

Amadore  Branch  Bailroad« 

Let  us  "  change  cars,"  and  note  the  re- 
|iult  Leaving  the  station,  our  course  it 
ilorth  a  short  distance,  and  then  northeast 
towards  the  mountains,  over  a  section  of 
,  Country  devoted  pretty  generally  to  stock- 
-raising— sheep  principally. 

Cicero— is  the  first  station,  8.8  milea 
I  distant,  a  small  place  of  about  150  ihhabf- 
tants.  Passing  on  11.7  miles  further,  we 
I  are  at 

I  Carbondalb — Here  are  extensive  coal 
mines,  operated  by  the  lone  Coal  Co..  who 
load  on  an  average  fifteen  cars'  per  day — 
160  tons. 

At  Michigan  Bar,  eight  miles  north, 
large  quantities  of  the  best  pottery  are 
manufactured,  which  finds  its  market  over 
this  road.  From  Carbondale  it  ia  6.7 
miles  to 

loNB— the  end  of  the  road,  27.2  milea 
from  Gait  This  place  is  in  Amadore 
county,  in  a  section  devoted  to  mining  and 
agriculture. 

The  coal  mines  located  here  have  yielded 
about  200  tons  per  day  during  the  year 
1878.  A  new  vein  of  coal,  struck  towarda 
the  last  of  the  year  1877,  opens  up  an  al> 
most  unlimited  deposit  Placer  mining  It 
carried  on  to  some  extent  on  Sutter  Creek. 

The  New$,  a  weekly  paper,  ia  published 
at  lone,  which  is  also  a  point  ftt>m  which 
fourteen  mining  towna,  large  and  smidl, 
draw  their  supplies.  Some  of  these  art 
reached  by  stage  as  follows:  YoleanOk 
population.  600;  West  Point»  800;  Jack- 
son.  Ban  Andreas,  Mokelumna  flul,  Bat- 
ter, Amador,  Drytown,  Plymout]^  and 
Fiddletown.    These  placea  are  from  ten  to 


176 


PACIFIC   COAST  GUIDE. 


fifteen  mrffes  distant  From  lone  it  is 
fifteen  miles  southeast  to  Mokelumna  Hill, 
pronounced  Mokel-m-ne,)  county  seat  of 
Calaveras  county.  This  Is  one  of  the  early 
mining  towns  of  the  State.  Placer  mines 
were  worked  as  early  as  1848,  and  are 
worked  to  some  extent  at  the  present  time ; 
but  quartz  mining  and  agriculture  are  the 
principal  occupation  of  the  people.  It  is 
a  pretty  little  town ;  tiie  streets  are  orna- 
mented with  shade  trees  on  each  side,  and 
has  some  beautiful  gardens  and  private 
residences,  with  good  school  sand  churches, 
several  good  hotels,  and  one  weekly  news- 
paper— Sie  Chronicle— \hQ  oldest  paper  in 
the  State.    Population,  1,200. 

W©  will  now  return  to  Gait,  and  start 
once  more  south. 

Acampo — is  a  small  station  where 
trains  seldom  stop,  5.4  miles  from  Gait, 
and  2.9  miles  from 

liOdi— The  country  along  here  has 
been  settled  up  very  much  in  the  last  four 
Years;  the  fields  are  pretty  generally 
fenced  and  well  cultivated,  and  some  fine 
vineyards  of  the  raisin  grape  can  be  seen. 
Many  new  buildings  attest  the  thrift  of  the 
people.  Stages  leave  this  station  daily — 
except  Sunday— for  Mokelimme  Hill,  35 
miles  east. 

Castle— is  six  miles  from  Lodi.  Our 
train  rolls  along  through  fine  broad  bottom 
lands,  doited  here  and  tliere  with  white- 
oak  trees,  which,  at  a  distance,  appear  like 
an  old  New  England  apple-ti-ee. 

Six  miles  further,  just  before  reaching 
the  next  station — on  the  right,  that  large 
building  is  the  State  Insane  Asylum. 
The  grounds  devoted  to  the  use  of  the 
•sylum  occupy  100  acres.  The  first  build- 
ing in  view  is  the  male  department;  tlie 
second,  the  female.  We  are  now  in  the 
•uburbs  of 

t^tockton— the  county  seat  of  San 
Joaquin  county.  Population,  18,000.  Ele- 
vation, 23  feet  The  city  was  named  in 
honor  of  the  old  naval  commo*.  re  of  that 
name,  who  engaged  in  the  conquest  of 
California.  It  is  situated  on  *^  small  bay, 
(rf  the  San  Joaquin  River,  ••  le  head  of 
navigation;  navigable  for  ^ratts  of  200 
tons ;  yet  steamboats  of  light  draft  ascend 
the  river  (San  Joaquin)  160  miles  farther. 
(Stockton  is  situated  in  the  midst  of  level 
plainflf  celebrated  for  their  great  yield  of 
grain.  It  is  the  center  of  an  immense 
grain  trade.  In  early  times,  the  only  trade 
depended  upon  for  the  support  of  the 
city  was  derived  di  ectly  from  tbo  work 


Ibg  or  the  mines  to  the  eastward".  Some 
of  this  trade  is  still  retained;  but,  com- 
pared  with  the  tremendous  grain  trade 
which  has  sprung  into  existence  within 
ihe  last  six  years,  it  sinks  to  a  unit  Tho 
city  has  many  beautiful  public  and  private- 
buildings,  thirteen  churches,  fourteen  pub- 
lic and  many  private  schools;  is  lighted 
with  gas,  and  well  supplied  with  water,, 
the  latter  from  an  artesian  well  1,002  feet 
deep,  which  discharges  360,000  gallons  per 
day — the  water  rising  ten  feet  above  the 
City  grade.  There  are  several  good  hotels ;. 
the  Yo-Semite  and  Grand  are  the  prin- 
cipal ones.  The  Independent  and  the 
Herald  are  daily  papers,  published  here. 
The  city  is  embowered  in  trees  and  shrub- 
bery: most  of  the  private  residences  and 
gardens  of  the  citizens  are  certainly  very 
tastefully  ornamented  with  all  kinds  of 
vines,  shrubbery,  and  flowers. 

The  soil  around  Stockton  is  "  adooe,"  a 
vegetable  mold,  black  and  very  slippery, 
and  soft  during  the  rainy  season.  This 
extends  southward  to  the  Contra  Costas, 
and  west  about  five  miles,  where  the 
sand  commences  and  extends  to  the  river. 

Stockton,  for  several  years  after  the  com- 
pletion of  the  Overland  road,  was  the 
starting  pointr—in  stages— for  Yo  Semite 
Valley  and  all  the  big  trees.  But,  by 
the  building  of  the  Visalia  Division  of 
the  "Central,"  most,  if  not  all,  the  travel  for 
Yo  Semite,  Mariposa  and  the  Tuolumna 
big  tree  groves,  has  taken  that  route,  the 
distance  by  stage  being  much  shorter. 
(See  map  of  route,  page  120.)  Again,by 
the  building  of  the  Stockton  &  Visalia, 
and  Stockton  &  Copperopolis  rail- 
roads, all  the  travel  for  the  Calaveras 
Big  Tree  Grove,  goes  by  that  route. 
(See  map.)  For  a  description  of  the 
route  to  Yo-Semite  Valley  and  the  Ma- 
riposa and  Tuolumna  big  trees,  see 
under  "Towards  Sunrise,"  page  209. 

To  Calaveras  Bio  Trees— we  will 
simply  note  the  route.  Take  S.  &  C.  E. 
K.— a  branch  of  the  Central  Pacific— at 
the  same  depot,  and  the  route  is  east, 
six  miles  to  Charleston,  three  to  Walt- 
hall, two  to  Holden  and  four  more  to 
Peters,  15  miles  from  Stockton.  Prom 
Peters,  a  line  branches  off  to  the 
south-east.  On  that  branch,  it  is  five 
miles  to  Farmington,  three  to  Grigo, 
five  to  Clyde,  four  to  Burnett's  and 
two  more  to  Oak  Dale,  the  end  of  the 
road,  34.4  miles  from  Stockton. 

Eeturning  to  Peters,  it  is  7  miles  to 


PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


LiVERMORE  PASS  TUNMEL. — See  page  170 


Waverly  and  eight  more  to  Milton,  the  end 
of  the  road,  30  miles,  from  Stockton.  Some 
travel  leaves  Milton  for  Yo  Semite  Valley, 
Chinese  Camp,  Big  Oak  Flat  and  the  Tuo- 
lumne Big  Trees;  distance  from  Milton, 87 
miles. 

Stages  leave  Milton  regularly  for  Mur- 
phys,  80  miles ;  Sonora,  36  miles ;  Chinese 
Camp,  28  miles  and  all  mining  towns  of 
note  to  the  north  and  east  From  Milton 
it  is  45  miles  to  the  Calaveras  Big  Tree 
Grove,  via  Murphys. 

Big  Trees — There  has  been,  np  to  the 
present  time,  ten  "  Big  Tree  Groves  "  dis- 
covered on  the  western  slope  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada  Mountains,  numbering  from  92  to 
1,000  trees  each,  and  ranging  in  height 
from  250  to  321  feet,  with  a  circumference, 
at  the  ground,  of  from  60  to  95  feet  each. 

The  largest  ever  discovered  is  called  the 
"Father  of  the  Forest"— now  prostrate— 
and  measures  435  feet  in  length  and  110 
feet  in  circumference.    It  is  in  the  Calaveras 


i^rove.  The  eievatiou  of  this  grove  above 
tide  is  4,735  feet  The  trees  number  92, 
ranging  from  150  to  321  feet  in  height 
The  most  notable  are  the  **  Father  of  the 
Forest,"  as  above  stated ;  the  "Mother  of 
the  Forest,"  321  feet  high,  90  feet  in  circum- 
ference;  "  Hercules,"  320  feet  high,  95  feet 
in  circumference ; "  Hermit,"  318  feet  high, 
60  feet  in  circumference ;  **  Pride  of  the 
Forest,"  276  feet  high,  60  feet  in  circum. 
ference;  "Three  Graces,"  295  feet  high,  92 
feet  in  cii^umference;  "  Husband  &  Wife," 
252  feet  high,  60  t«et  in  circumference; 
"  Burnt  Tre^  "—prostrate— 330  feet  long,  97 
feet  in  c'  ^iference;  "The  Old  Maid,'»^ 
"Old  Bacheic-/ "  Siamese  Twins,"  "Mother 
&  Sons,"  the  "  Two  Guardsmen,"  and  many 
others  range  from  261  to  300  feet  in  height 
and  from  59  to  92  feet  in  circumference. 
Of  over  350  big  trees  in  the  Mariposa, 
grove,  125  are  from  250  to  350  feet  in  height 
and  40  feet  in  circumference.  The  "Ram- 
bler" is  250  feet  high,  and  102  fe^'t  in  cir- 
cumference, at  the  ground. 


178 


I'AtlFIC   COAST   GUIDE. 


Hotel  aecommodationfl  at  the  different 
OTOves,  and  in  Yo  Semite  Valley  will  be 
found  ample.  Returning  to  Stockton,  we 
once  more  take  the  Overland  train  for  San 
Francisco.  Thia  is  a  great  country  for 
rapid  changes.  Where  to-day  there  are 
only  stages,  to-morrow  there  m&j  be  palace 
cars ;  so  that  it  is  almost  impossible  for  us 
to  keep  up  with  the  times.  When  our 
guide  was  Jint  published,  in  1869,  not  one 
/oot  of  all  the  roads  we  have  come  over, 
from  the  Missouri  to  this  place,  or  will  go 
over,  or  that  are,  was  built  or  hardly 
thought  of.  How  fast  we  live!  At  the 
same  proportional  increase  for  the  next 
ten  years,  where  will  we  be  ? 

liathrop — is  8.9  miles  south  of  Stock- 
ton, at  the  Junction  of  the  "Visalia  Di-j 
vision"  of  the  Central  Pacific  railroad. 
Here  the  R  R.  Co.  have  erected  a  fine,  large 
hotel,  before  which  trains  stop  80  minutes,  i 
to  afford  passengers  an  opportunity  to  takej 
«  meal,  for  which  the  moderate  charge  ofi 
bO  cents  is  made.  (For  a  description  of  the 
country  to  the  south,  including  Yo  Semite! 
Valley  and  the  big  trees  of  Mariposa  and 
Tuolumna  groves,  See  page  211.)  Here 
passengers  for  Fort  Yuma,  Los  Angeie 
and  intermediate  country  can  **  change 
cars,"  if  they  choose,  without  going  to  San 
Francisco. 

From  Lathrop,  it  is  8.6  miles  to  the 
bridge  over  the  San  Joaquin  River.  Here 
the  cars  come  to  a  full  stop  before  crossing, 
to  be  8ur«  to  guard  against  accidents—as 
the  bridge  has  a  '*  draw  "  for  the  accom- 
modation of  the  river  boats.  This  company 
has  a  rule  for  all  their  employes,  and  a 
"  Golden"  one  it  is,  that  "  In  ease  ofun- 
teriainty,  always  take  the  safe  side^  This 
rule  is  xoell  observed;  few  "  accidents  "  take 
place  on  the  roads  operated  by  this  com- 
pany, for  the  reason  that  the  road  is  con- 
structed of  good  materials,  and  in  the  most 
mibstantial  manner^  with  all  its  equipments 
of  the  first  class.  The  officers  are  thor- 
oughly practical  men,  who  never  discharge 
an  employe,  on  any  consideration,  who  has 
proved  to  be  a  eompetent  man  for  his  posi- 
tion, simply  to  mase  room  for  a  favorite^ 
or  a  wortKUss  **  cousin.''* 

Crossing  the  bridge,  the  long  range  of 
the  Contra  Costa  Mountains  looms  up  in 
the  distance,  directly  ahead,  and  extends  a 
long  distance  to  the  right  and  left,  on  either 
hand,  as  though  to  effectually  stop  our 
progress.  We  cannot  see  any  place  to  get 
through  or  over  them,  yet  we  are  sure  Sjin 
Francisco  is  on  the  other  side. 


Bsnta— is  1-4  miles  from  the  bridge 
and  is  reached  after  passing  over  a 
broad  bottom,  the  soil  of  which  ia  s 
rich,  deep  sandy  loam  and  very  produc- 
tive. This  station  consists  of  a  post- 
office,  a  half-dozen  stores,  several  large 
freight  warehouses,  with  a  surrounding 
country,  well  settled,  most  of  which  is 
under  cultivation.  Stages  leave  thii! 
station  on  arrival  of  trains  for  Grayson* 
ville,  20  miles ;  Mahoney,  35  miles ;  and 
Hill's  Ferry,  44  miles. 

After  leaving  the  station,  we  have 
witnessed,  on  several  occasions,  by  look- 
ing away  to  the  right,  that  curious 
phenomenon,  the  mirage,  which  is  often 
seen  on  the  desert    (See  page  142). 

At  Tracy— three  mileswest  of  Banta 
we  come  to  the  junction  of  the  new 
San  Pablo  &  Tulare  Railroad,  a  division 
of  the  Central,  opened  in  the  summer  of 
1878,  and  runs  via  Martinez,  along  San 
Pablo  Bay  via  Berkley  to  Oakland,  dis- 
tance 83  miles  to  San  Francisco,  with 
no  grades,  being  12  miles  r<viger  than 
the  route  via  Livermore  Pass.  We  shall 
take  this  Route  ./Xr*^  and  then  return. 

Tracy— is  situated  on  a  broad  plain, 
with  the  Contra  Costa  range  of  moun- 
tains to  the  south  and  westward,  and 
the  >an  Joaquin  River  on  the  east  and 
northward,  the  broad  bottom  lands  of 
which  extend  for  over  thirty  milea 
north,  where  they  unite  with,  and  from 
thence  become  the  great  Sacramento 
Valley,  extending  farther  than  the  eyt 
can  reach.  The  station  buildings  art 
located  between  the  old  and  the  new 
tracks,  and  are  very  conlmodious. 

From  Tracy,  our  course  is  north  of 
west,  direct  for  the  junction  of  tha 
Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin  Hi  vers. 
The  country  is  principally  settled  by 
agriculturists  and  small  stock  raisers. 
The  lands  where  cultivated,  are  fenced, 
and  can  always  be  depended  upon  for 
raising  good  crops ;  some  without  irri- 

?:atlon,  but  all  with  it— the  facilities 
or  which  are   readily  obtained,  and 
with  little  expense. 

Bethany— is  the  first  station  after 
leavincr  Tracy,  trains  stop  on  signal. 

To  the  left  five  miles,  are  the  Contra 
Costa  mountains,  grass  covered,  with 
timber  in  the  ravines,  and  some  trees  on 
the  higher  peaks.  Near  the  station,  on 
the  left,  is  a  grove  of  eucalyptus  trees. 


MIRROR  LAKE  AND  REFLECTIONS^kYO 


MITE    VALLEY,  CAL.  (See  Annex  No.  4a)  Q 


(12.) 


1 


•       •  • 
•      •    •      • 


cbofutt's  new  overland  toubist 


179 


Continuing  on  nine  miles,  we  reach 
another  signal  station,  named  Byron, 
from  which  it  is  five  miles  to  the  signal 
station  of  Brentwood.  Oak  trees  arc 
numerous  for  the  last  ten  miles,  with 
some  chaparral  in  places  on  the  right. 
The  soil  is  a  rich  sandy  loam,  warm,  and 
easily  worked.  The  mountains  to  the 
left,  are  closer  and  covered  with  trees. 
Five  miles  further  and  we  stop  at 

Antioeb  Station— The  town  is 
one  mile  to  the  right,  on  the  banks  of 
the  San  Joaquin  .Kiver,  above  its  Junc- 
tion with  the  Sacramento.  See  page  189. 

Leaving  Antioch,  we  pass  under  three 
railroad  tracks  which  come  down  from 
the  coal  mines,  two  miles  to  the  left,  and 
run  to  shipping  wharfs  one  mile  to  the 
right.  These  mines  are  extensive,  but 
the  quality  is  quite  ordinary. 

Our  road  for  the  next  twenty  miles  if 
cut  through  many  narrow  rocky  or  san- 
dy spurs,  from  50  to  100  feet  in  height. 
that  shoot  down  from  the  mountains 
on  our  left,  to  the  water's  edge  on  our 
right,  between  which,  are  as  many  little 
creeks,  or  sloughs,  over  which  the  road 
is  built,  sometimes  on  piles,  and  with 
tuile  lands  on  each  side.  n 

Cornwall— is  five  miles  from  An- 
tioch, opposite  Suisun  Bay,  just  below 
the  junction  of  the  Sacramento  and  San 
Joaquin  Rivers,  which  are  one  mile  to 
the  right. 

At  this  station  we  get  a  first  view  of 
the  town  of  Benicia,  five  miles  ahead  to 
the  right,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
waters.  Those  large  buildings  on  the 
higher  ground  are  the  U.  S.  arsenal  and 
barracks.  (See  description  page  187.) 

To  the  left  of  our  train,  all  along  be- 
side the  mountains,  are  many  well- 
fenced  and  cultivated  farms,  with  neat 
cottages  surrounded  by  orchards,  vine- 
yards, fruit,  and  flowers,  together  with 
evergreen  shade  trees  in  great  variety, 
and  in  great  abundance. 

Passing  Bay  Point  in  eight  miles, 
Avon  in  three,  four  more  brings  us  to 

Martineas— the  county  seat  of  Con- 
tra Costa  county,  a  small  town  of  about 
600  inhabitants.  The  country  is  princi- 
pally devoted  to  agriculture  and  vin« 
culture,  the  vineyards  being  numerous 

Continuing  along,  at  times  on  the 
river  bank  and  through  several  rocky 
cuts,  8}^  miles  brings  us  to  the  Short 
Line  Overland  Route.   (See  page  183). 
12 


Cllis— is  6.2  miles  from  Bantas,  west, 
situated  in  the  midst  of  a  beautiftil  valley, 
which  is  rapidly  settling  up.  The  coal 
mines  of  Corral  Hollow  are  fourteen  miles 
distant  from  this  station  to  the  southeast, 
connected  a  portion  of  the  way  by  rail- 
track.  The  "Central "  Co.  use  large  quan- 
titles  of  this  coal— besides  transporting  it 
to  San  Francisco,  and  other  cities  and 
towns.  Since  leaving  the  last  station  we 
have  gained  altitude,  this  station  being 
76  feet  elevation.  Another  engine  will  be 
attached  here,  as  the  grade  increases  rap- 
Idly  after  leaving  this  station  until  we  gel 
to  the  summit  of  the  mountain. 

Midway  —  formerly  called  "Zink 
House,"  is  5.7  miles  from  Ellis ;  elevation, 
357  feet.  Soon  after  leaving  the  station, 
I  we  enter  the  bluffs,  pass  tnrough  deep 
cute  and  over  high  nils,  our  two  iron 
horses  puffing  and  blowing  furiously  as 
I  they  labor  up  the  heavy  grade.  These 
bluffs  are  heavy  sand,  and  almost  destitute 
of  vegetation.  To  our  right  can  be  seen 
the  old  wa^on  road,  but  now  almost  de- 
serted. Still  upward  and  onward,  the 
long  train  thundering  around  this  jutting 
point,  and  over  that  high  embankment 
twisting  and  turning,  first  to  the  right,  and 
then  to  the  left,  like  some  huge  serpent, 
while  the  bluffs  seem  to  increase  in  height, 
and  the  canyon  is  narrower  and  darker  at 
every  turn,  until,  at  last,  we  are  plunged 
into  total  darkness,  and  the  tunnel  of  Liver- 
more  Pass;  elevation,  740  feet  This  tun. 
nel  is  the  only  one  on  the  road  from  Sacra, 
mento  to  San  Francisco ;  is  1,116  feet  long, 
supported  by  heavy  timbers.  (See  iilu^ 
tration,  page  177 

i  Passing  through  the  tunnel,  our  descent 
is  rapid,  through  a  narrow  canyon,  down 
Into  one  of  the  loveliest  little  valleys  in 
the  whole  country,  and  7.9  miles  from 
Midway  our  train  stops  at 
I  Altamont— This  is  a  small  station 
^t  the  foot  of  the  mountain.  Speeding  to 
me  westward  8.1  miles,  brings  us  to 
!  liivermore— a  thrifty  town  of  about 
1,200  inhabitants,  most  of  whom  are  en^ 
gaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  The  town 
18  the  center  of  Livermore  Valley — one  of 
I  the  most  fertile  in  the  State— is  about  20 
miles  long  and  fifteen  miles  wide,  sur- 
rounded by  the  Contra  Costa  Mountains, 
and  their  numerous  spurs.  To  the  north, 
away  above  the  head  of  the  valley,  rises 
Mt  Diablo,  the  meridian  center  of  the 
Pacific  coast 

At  the  station  are  several  very  large 


180 


PACIFIC   COAST   GXnDE. 


warehouses  tor  storing  grain — as  this  is  a 
productive  grain  valley — several  large 
hotels,  some  stores  and  many  fine,  costly 
residences.  Here  are  particularly  notice- 
able the  eucalyptus,  or  Australian  blue 
gum  tree;  we  have  seen  it  in  a  few  places 
before,  but  from  this  time  forward  they 
will  be  found  numerous,  in  some  places 
comprising  immense  groves.  These  trees 
are  planted  alon^  the  sides  of  the  streets, 
aroimd  public  buildings,  in  the  grounds  of 
private  residences,  and  by  the  Railroad 
Company,  in  immense  quantities^  The 
latter  had  300,000  of  these  trees  growing 
beside  their  road  and  around  their  stations 
in  the  year  in  1877,  and  we  understand 
500,000  more  are  to  be  set  out  as  soon  as 
they  can  be  procured.  One  peculiarity  of 
this  tree,  besides  its  being  an  evergreen 
and  unusually  thrifty,  is,  that  it  will  grow 
on  the  most  sandy,  alkaline,  dry  ana  bar- 
ren soil,  and  it  is  said  to  be  a  sure  preven- 
tive agiainst  chills  and  fever,  where  it  is 
grown  in  profusion.  Some  claim  that  it  is 
nre-proof,  and  that  shingles  or  plank  sawed 
from  these  trees  will  not  burn,  and  for  that 
reason  they  are  very  much  esteemed  in 
Australia — its  native  country — and  from 
which  the  first  on  this  coast  were  imported. 
There  are  126  known  species  of  the 
eucalypti,  about  50  of  which  are  to  be 
found  m  California. 

Leaving  Livermoro,  the  ground  is 
covered  very  thickly  in  places  with  white, 
water-worn  pebbles,  from  the  size  of  a 
mustard  seed  to  that  of  a  bird's  egg;  when 
the  ground  is  bare  of  grass  or  grain,  they 
ihow  very  plainly.  ^^ 

Pleasanton— is  (tiached  6.1  miles 
west  of  Livermore,  after  crossing  a  long 
bridge  over  Alameda  Creek.  The  town 
contains  about  600  population  and  is  beati- 
tiftilly  situated  on  the  western  edge  of 
the  valley,  and  is  a  thrifty,  substantial  town. 

Leaving  the  station,  me  mountain  again 
looms  up  directly  ahead,  and  it  looks  to  be 
impossible  this  time  to  get  through  it;  but 
•con  the  train  passes  around,  or  through 
lereral  mountain  spurs,  and  emerges  into 
a  narrow  canyon,  down  which  ripples  the 
sparkling  Alameda  Creek.  The  blufis  r »n 
each  side  are  steep,  and  covered  with  scrub 
oaks,  wild  oata,and  bunch  grass.  Sycamore 
trees  are  to  be  seen,  also  white  and  live 
oaks,  some  with  long,  drooping  moss- 
covered  boughs — some  very  large — grow- 
ing on  the  banks  of  the  creek,  presenting  at 
a  oistance  the  appearance  of  an  apple-tree 
laden  w^tfc^    finiit     On  we    go,   down, 


down,  first  on  one  side  of  the  creeS,  then 
on  the  other,  the  blufis  drawing  in  close  on 
both  sides,  through  deep  cuts,  over  high 
bridges,  with  rapidly  changing  scenery  on 
either  hand.  Soon  we  enter  a  little  valley 
where  once  was  located  the  San  Jose  June- 
tion  at 

Hunol— the  road  bed  of  which  can  be 
seen  on  the  left  Then  the  caynon  narrows 
to  a  gorge,  and  on,  on  we  go  past  the  old 
"Vallejo  Mill,"  the  track  curving  to  the 
westward,  and  11.6  miles  from  JPleasan- 
ton  the  train  arrives  at 

Niles— elevation  86  feet  From  Liver, 
more  Pass  we  have  descended  654  feet,  and 
are  now  in  tlie  valley,  which  continues  to 
San  Francisco  Bay. 

Niles  is  situated  in  the  thickest  settled 
portion  of  Alameda  Valley,  surrounded  by 
the  finest  lands  in  the  State  of  California, 
and  will,  at  no  distant  day,  be  a  place  of 
considerable  importance.  Seven  miles  to 
the  south,  by  rail,  are  the  noted  warm 
springs  of  Alameda  county. 

Niles  is  now  the  junction  of  the  Ban 
Jose  branch,  which  runs  around  the  head 
I  of  Alameda  Valley  and  San  Francisco  Bay. 
As  the  train  for  San  Jose  is  ready,  let  us 
'step  on  board  and  take  a  look  at  the  conn- 
I  try.   Four  miles  brings  us  to  Washington, 
I  About  two  miles  to  the  east  is  located  the 
I  old  mission  San  Jose,  in  a  delightful  nook 
jin  the  mountains,  just  such  a  beautiful  site 
I  as  all  the  old  Padres  were  sure  to  select 
I  Three  miles  further  is  the  Warm  Sfrinqb, 
I  where  the  traveler  will  find  ample  accom- 
|modationsfor  a  pleasant  sojourn.     These 
springs  are  situated  a  short  distance  from 
the  station,  in  a  quiet  little  valley  amone 
!the  foothills,  rather   retired,  surrounded 
j  by  attractive  pcenery.     The  waters  are  im- 
pregnated with  sulphur,- and  are  highly 
spoken  of  for  their  medicinal  qualities. 
In  ear  these  springs  is  one  of  several  coun- 
'  try  residences  owned  by  the  Hon.  Leland 
I  Stanford,  President  of  this  road.    It  is  now 
occupied  by  his  brother,  Josiah,  who  over- 
looks many  orchards  of  choice  fruit,  be- 
sides  a  vineyard  containing  100,000  vines. 
From  the  Springs  it  is  four  miles  to  Mii#. 
PBTAS,  and  seven  more  to  Sav  Jose,  at 
which  place  the  "  Central "  connects  with 
the  Southern  Pacific  railroad  for  the  north 
and  south.     (See  description  of  San  Josa 
on  page  206J 

Returning  to  Niles,  we  continue  our 
journey  towards  "Frisco." 

On  a  clear  day,  the  city  of  San  Francisoo 
— 2_6  miles  distant — can  be  distinctly 


CKOFUTT's    new   OVBRLA.ND   TOURIST 


181 


n  little  to  the  left,  ahead  of  the  train  across 
the  bay. 

Decota— is  three  miles  from  Niles, 
through  beautiful  fields  on  our  left  and 
high  blufis  on  the  right.  This  is  a  new 
town — one  preparing  for  the  future,  and 
promises  at  this  time  to  be  one  of  unusual 
importance  as  a  suburban  residence  for  the 
merchant  princes  of  San  Francisco. 

The  lots  are  very  large,  with  wide  aven- 
aes,  beside  which  are  planted  long  rows  of 
trees — mostly  eucalyptus — to  the  number 
of  from  40,000  to  50,000.  The  water  comes 
from  living  springs,  which  flow  abundantly 
a  few  miles  to  the  east  in  the  mountains. 
To  the  left  the  valley  stretches  away  ten 
miles  to  San  Francisco  Bay,  dotted  here 
and  there  with  comfortable  farm-houses, 
and  on  all  sides  extensive  and  well^ulti- 
vated  fields. 

Passing  along,  many  young  orchards  and 
groves  of  trees  will  be  noticeable,  also  some 
of  the  beautiful  country  residences  of  San 
Francisco's  merchants. 

Hayward^s  Station— is  6.8  miles 
from  Decota.  The  town  is  one  mile  to  the 
east,  nestling  in  beside  the  mountains,  and 
a  lovely  hamlet  it  is,  completely  embow- 
ered in  ornamental  trees,  among  which  are 
the  Japanese  persimmon.  Near  the  town 
are  two  groves  of  eucalyptus  trees,  of  about 
150  acres,  aggregating  250,000  ttees,  200,000 
of  which  are  raising  for  the  Railroad  Com- 
pany. The  town  has  a  population  of  about 
1,000,  many  of  whom  do  business  in  San 
Francisco,  going  and  returning  daily,  23 
miles. 

Along  this  valley  for  many  miles,  the 
Railroad  Company  have  planted,  beside 
their  road,  double  rows  of  the  "gum-tree," 
as  the  eucalyptus  is  called  here,  and  we 
understand,  should  the  experiment  prove 
satisfactory  they  will  continue  the  planting 
until  their  whole  2,000  miles  of  road  and 
branches  from  Ogden,  in  Utah,  to  Yuma, 
in  Arizona,  will  all  be  lined  with  these  pe- 
culiar trees. 

From  Hayward's  it  h  2.7  miles  to 

liOrenzo— This  is  a  small  village  sur- 
rounded by  wealth  of  all  kinds.  Away  to 
theri^ht,  beside  the  mountain,  that  large 
buildm^  is  the  County  Poor  House.  Some 
of  the  pioneers  of  this  countrv,  and  others 
that  were  once  rich,  are  in  that  building. 
This  is  a  country  where  the  "ups  and 
downs  "  are  very  rapid;  one  is  rich  to-day, 
with  gold  to  throw  away,  then  poor  to- 
morrow, without  a  farthing  in  the  world. 

Alanieda county  isnotedfor  its  peculiarly 


rich  and  fertne  soil,  which  seems 
cially  adapted  to  the  cultivation  of  all  kinds 
of  fruit  and  vegetables,  the  size  and  weight 
of  which  are  truly  marvelous.  This  val- 
ley is  the  currants'  home,  which  are  raised 
in  immense  quantities.  Here  is  located  a 
large  drying  establishment,  by  the  Alden 
process.  One  man,  a  Mr.  Meek,  has  a 
2,200  acre  farm  here,  on  800  of  which,  are 
250,000  currant  bushes,  1,200  almond  trees, 
4,200  cherry  trees,  8,000  prune  and  plum, 
1,500  pear,  2,500  apple,  1,500  peach,  and 
2,000  apricot  trees,  besides  six  acres  in 
blackberries,  and  many  orange  trees. 

Another  poor  fellow  has  120  acres,  on 
which  are  2,000  plum  trees,  2,000  cherry, 
1,500  pear,  1,000  apple,  400  peach  and  apricot 
trees,  and  25  acres  in  currants  and  berries. 
Still  another  individual  has  100.000  cur- 
rant bushes,  and  the  fourth,  raised  in  1877, 
200  tons  of  pumpkins,  SOk)  tons  of  beets, 
and  20  tons  of  carrots.  Currants  grow  as 
large  as  filberts ;  cherries,  three  inches  in 
circumferance ;  plums,  pears,  apples, 
peaches,  and  apricots,  extraordinarily 
large,  while  carrots  grow  three  feet  long, 
and  weigh  35  pounds ;  cabbages,  75  pounds ; 
onions,  five  pounds;  water-melons,  85 
pounds;  pumpkins — well,  no  scales  can 
wei^h  tTiem — pears,  8J^  pounds;  straw- 
berries, two  ounces ;  and  beets — not  hoode- 
lums— 200  pounds.  These  beets  beat  in 
weight  those  raised  in  any  other  country — 
80  far  as  heard  from — ana,  one  of  our  aged 
and  revered  philosophers  once  said  "  they 
beat  the  devil."— Possibly,  we  are  not 
•ufflciently  educated  to  m&ke  &nj  po8itiv0 
statement  of  the  kind  that  could  be  taken 
as  reliable  All  kinds  of  grain  yields  are 
fenormous. 

From  Lorenzo,  it  is  2.7  miles  to   ^ 

H^an  lieandro— This  place  contains 
a  population  of  about  2,000.  It  was  once 
the  coimtyseat  of  Alameda  county,  but  that 
honor  was  taken  away  to  enrich  Oakland, 
yet  the  citizens  seem  to  stand  the  loss,  and 
do  not  stop  in  their  efforts  to  improve  and 
beautify  the  town,  or  in  raising  the  finest 
and  largest  vegetables  in  the  State. 

The  next  station  is  4.2  miles  distant, 
called 

Melrose— This  is  a  small  station  al 
the  junction  of  the  Alameda  railroad.  Close 
beside  the  mountain,  on  the  right,  is  lo» 
rated  the  Mills  Seminary,  for  young  ladies. 
The  building  cost  about  $100,000.  Thf 
grounds  occupy  66  acres,  and  are  mosi 
beautiful,  in  trees,  lawns,  etc. 

Alameda  —  Alameda   county,   if   fouj 


182 


PACIFIC   COAST   GUIDE. 


miles  to  tlie  left  of  this  station.  Popula- 
tion 1,600.  It  is  situated  on  the  eastern 
shore  of  San  Francisco  Bay,  four  miles 
from  Alameda  Point,  and  ten  miles  from 
San  Francisco,  with  which  it  is  connected  by 
ferry  boats,  by  the  San  Francisco  &  Ala- 
-meda  railroaa,  and  with  the  "  Central  "  at 
Melrose.  It  has  good  schools  and 
•churches  and  elegant  private  residences. 
"The  town  abounds  in  beautiful  groves 
of  oaks.  The  Encinal  and  other  parks  are 
venr  beautiful.  It  is  a  favorite  resort  for 
bathers  and  for  picnic  parties  from  San 
Francisco.  The  Encinal  and  Argm,  both 
weekly  papers,  are  published  here. 

Passing  on  to  the  westward,  the  traveler 
will  note  a  race  track  on  the  left,  where 
some  of  the  best  blooded  stock  in  the  State 
can  often  be  seen  exercising. 

Near  by  is  a  large  smelting  furnace,  for 
manipulating  gold,  silver,  and  other  ores. 

We  are  now  passing  'through  what — 
only  a  few  years  since — ^was  an  open  coun- 
try, now  the  suburbs  of  a  big  city,  that  is 
known  as 

£ast  Oakland— once  called  Brook- 
lyn, 3.3  miles  from  Melrose.  An  incor- 
porated part  of  Oakland — a  very  thrifty 
place — is  separated  from  the  ola  city  by 
an  arm  of  San  Antonio  Creek,  but  con- 
nected by  bridges.  East  Oakland  and 
Oakland  are  situated  on  the  eastern  shore 
of  San  Francisco  Bay,  on  ground  which 
slopes  gradually  back  from  the  bay  for 
several  miles  to  the  foot-hills,  or  base  of 
the  Contra  Costa  Mountains,  in  their  rear. 
Upon  this  sloping  ground  are  built  many 
elegant  "  out  of  town  "  residences  of  the 
merchants  of  San  Francisco,  which  com- 
mand a  beautiful  view  of  their  city,  the 
Bay,  the  Golden  Gate,  and  the  surrounding 
country. 

A  short  distance  to  the  northeast,  in  a 
canyon  of  the  mountains,  are  situated  the 
"Piedmont  Whitb  Sulphur  Springs." 
These  springs  are  strongly  impregnated 
with  sulphur,  and  it  is  claimed  that  they 
possess  medicinal  qualities.  But  whv  Cal- 
ifomians  should  be  sick,  or  drink  sulphur 
water,  when  they  have  such  good  wine,  and 
io  much  of  it,  we  are  unable  to  understand. 
The  only  cotton  mill  on  the  Pacific  coast  is 
located  at  this  place— the  "Oakland  Cotton 
Mills." 

Steam  cars  run  regularly  between  the 
city  and  San  Francisco,  every  half-hour, 
fare  15  cents;  by  commutation  tickets 
much  less.     These  cars  run  through  the 


center  of  the  city  of  Oakland,  and  not  on 
the  track  used  by  the  Overland  train,  until 
the  long  pier  is  reached  below  Oakland 
Point  When  the  road  was  first  built,  all 
trains  run  through  the  heart  of  the  city, 
but  subsequently  a  road  was  built  on  piles 
over  the  shoal  water  on  the  edge  of  the  bay, 
skirting  the  city  front,  reaching  the  old 
track  on  the  pier,  half  a  mile  below  Oak- 
Hand  Point,  since  which  time  Overland 
trains,  by  this  route,  take  that  track. 

Leaving  East  Oakland  our  train  runs 
along  over  the  water,  affording  a  very  good 
view  of  the  bay  on  the  left,  and  on  the 
right,  Oakland,  ana  mountain  to  the  back 
of  it  Two  miles  further  and  the  train 
stops  at  the  station  for 

Oakland— the  county  seat  of  Ala- 
meda  county,  has  a  population  of  34,700, 
and  is  the  second  city  in  size  on  the  Pacific 
coast  Few  cities  in  the  world  have  ever 
increased,  with  as  good,  healthy,  substantial 
growth,  as  has  Oakland  within  the  last 
seven  or  eight  years.  According  to  the 
census  of  1870,  the  population  was  11,- 
104,  an  increase  in  ten  years  of  nearly 
twenty-four  thousand. 

What  Brooklyn,  New  York,  is  to  New 
York  City,  so  is  Oakland  to  the  city  of  San 
Francisco.  The  name  of  the  city  is  sig- 
nificant of  its  surroundings,  as  it  is  situated 
in  an  extensive  grove  of  evergreen  oaks, 
with  orchards,  par'ks,  gardens  and  vine- 
yards on  every  side.  Nestling  amidst  this 
forest  of  perpetual  green,  can  be  seen, 
peeping  out  here  and  there,  the  magnificent 
villa  of  the  nabob,  the  substantial  resi- 
dence of  the  wealthy  merchant,  and  the 
neat  and  tasteful  cottage  of  the  "  well-to- 
do"  mechanic,  who  have  been  attracted 
here  by  its  grand  scenery,  oiild  climate, 
and  quiet  surroundings — being  free  from 
dust,  noise,  or  the  bustle  of  a  large  city  de- 
voted to  business. 

Oakland  is  lighted  with  gas ;  has  broad- 
well-paved  streets ;  is  abundantly  supplied 
with  water;  supports  several  horse  rail- 
roads; three  daily  newspapers— the  Trtft- 
une,  Times,  and  the  Democrat,  and  is  pro- 
vided with  just  a  score  of  churches.  The 
Masons,  Odd  Fellows,  and  many  of  the 
other  fellows  have  halls  and  hola  regulai 
meetings. 

Public  and  private  schools  are  ample. 
The  higher  educational  institutions  com. 
prise  the  University  of  California,  the  State 
University  School,  the  Female  College  of 
the  Pacitic,  the  Oakland  Military  School, 
the  Oakland  Female  Seminacv,  and  the 


crofutt's  new  overland  tourist 


18a 


Convent  of  "  Our  Lady  of  the  Sacred 
Heart."  The  University  of  California  is 
at  Berkley,  four  miles  distant.  J  t  is  con- 
■tructed  throughout  of  brick  and  iron 
—they  say,  earthquake  and  fire-proof. 

Near  the  University,  towards  the  bay, 
is  located  the  State  Asylum  of  the  Deaf, 
Dumb  and  Blind.  It  is  a  massive  stone 
building,  three  stories  high,  300  feet 
above  the  bay,  and  commanding  a  very 
extensive  view.  Oakland,  besides  its 
attractions  as  a  place  of  residence, 
has  many  manufactories,  some  very 
extensive,  giving  employment  to  hun- 
dreds of  people.  We  have  it  from  the 
best  authority,  that  there  are  $4,350,000 
invested  in  the  manufacturing  business, 
the  annual  product  of  which  amounts  to 
an  enormous  sum.  The  Central  Pacific 
Railroad  Company  completed  a  road 
called  the  Berkley  Branch,  and  opened 
it  for  business  January  9,  1878,  which 
commences  at  the  end  of  the  pier  at 
West  Oakland,  and  runs  north  and  east- 
ward around  mountains  of  the  Contra 
Costa  Range,  and  in  full  view  of  San 
Pablo  Bay,  to  Martinez,  35  miles,  thence 
to  Tracy,  48  miles,  [see  page  I78l.  By 
this  route  all  overland  trains  run  during 
1879,  and  by  which  the  trains  for  Los 
Angeles,  Yuma,  and  Arizona  now  run. 
[S-e  map,  page  120j. 

The  principal  hotel  at  East  Oakland 
is  Tubbs' ;  at  Oakland,  the  Grand  Cen- 
tral. At  Oakland  Point,  from  which 
the  long  pier  is  built  out  into  the  bay, 
are  located  the  extensive  workshops  of 
the  Central  Pacific.  Their  yard  and 
ground  occupy  129  acres. 

Leaving  Oakland,  our  train  speeds 
along  through  the  edge  of  the  city  for 
about  half  a  mile,  then  gradually  curves 
to  the  southward,  running  out  to  meet 
the  main  Oakland  pier,  which  it  reaches 
1.4  miles  from  Oakland,  1.6  miles  from 
the  Oakland  end  of  the  pier,  and  2.1 
miles  from  the  end  of  the  pier  to  the 
westward.  Down  this  long  pier  rolls 
our  train,  directly  into  the  bay— but  we 
must  return  to  Sacramento,  for  the  last 
time,  and  take 

The  New  IShort  liine  Ronte. 

6ee  time  table 
Taking  our  seat  in  the  cars,  in  the 
** Central"  depot,  the  train  crosses  the 
bridge— 600  feet  long— over  the  Sacra- 


mento River,  and  pass  through  the 
town  of 

llVashington— on  the  west  bank,  a 
place  of  about  1,000  population,  then 
cross  the  "Tuiles"— abroadbeltof  over- 
flowed swamp  land — on  an  embankment 
and  trestle  bridge,  raised  above  the  an- 
nual floods,  until  we  reach  the  highlands 
or  elevated  plains.  The  trestle  bridge 
affords  passage  for  the  flood  tides. 

From  Sacramento  it  is  8.35  miles  to 

Webster— a  small  side-track  for 
loading  cattle,  near  by  which  large 
numbers  of  cattle  are  kept  and  fed, 
preparing  for  market.  From  Webster 
it  is  4.88  miles  to 

DaTis— the  junction  of  the  Marys- 
ville  Branch,  where  the  road  passes  on 
north  to  Knight's  Landing  and  Willows. 
It  contains  a  population  of  about  000, 
with  many  fine  private  residences. 

Turning  north— from  Davis— we  pass 
through  large  groves  of  live  oak,  and 
highly  cultivated  fields,  and  5.05  miles 
from  Davis,  come  to  a  side-track  for 
loading  cattle,  called  Merrit— but  it 
did  not  have  merit  enough  for  our  train 
to  stop,  so  we  passed  along  4.34  miles  to 

Woodland — the  county  seat  of  Yolo 
county,  situated  three  miles  west  of 
Cache  Creek,  in  the  midst  of  an  exten- 
sive plain.  The  town  is  one  of  the 
most  thriving  in  the  State.  Population 
about  3,000.  Yolo  county,  in  the  sum- 
mer, is  one  vast  wheat  field— far,  almost 
as  the  eye  can  reach,  the  waving  wheat 
stretches  away  on  either  hand.  Huge 
oaks  are  seen  in  every  direction,  and 
several  large  warehouses  for  wheat 
appear.  The  principal  hotels  are  the 
Crapt,  and  the  Capital.  Along  the  road 
we  will  observe  a  number  of  vineyards. 

Soon  after  leaving  Woodland,  on  the 
right,  can  be  seen  the  race  track,  where, 
at  certain  seasons,  some  good  time  is 
made.  Again  on  the  left,  the  track  of 
the  Northern  railway  branches  off  for 
Willows.  Groves  of  oak  and  bands  of 
sheep  are  numerous. 

Curtis — A  side-track,  is  passed  5.0S 
miles  from  Woodland,  and  4.05  miles 
more  brings  us  to 

Knight's  Landing — at  the  landing 
of  which  we  stopped  on  our  way  "  up 
the  Sacramento."  (See  description,  page 
171). 

Returning  to  Woodland  we  take  the 


184 


CEOFUTT'S  NEW  OVERLAND  TOURIST 


Northern  Railway. 

This  road  is  operated  by  the  * 'Cen- 
tral,"and  passes  through  one  continu- 
ous wheat, field  for  the  whole  distance 
from  Woodland  to  Willows,  87  miles. 
The  stations  and  distances  are  Yolo. 
4.91  miles;  Blacks,  5.88 miles;  Dunni- 
ffan,  7.52  miles ;  Harrington,  5.04  miles ; 
Arbnckle,  517  miles ;  Berlin,  4.6  miles ; 
Macy,  .93  miles ;  Williams,  5.73  miles ; 
Maxwell,  8.85  miles;  Delevan,  5.24 
miles ;  Norman,  3.66  miles ;  Logandale, 
2.36  miles,  and  5.57  miles  more  to  the 
*'end  of  the  track,"  at  Willows.  This 
road  follows  the  general  course  of  the 
SacramentoEiver,atadistanceoffrom 


ten  to  twenty  miles  to  the  westward. 

The  Hot  Sulphur  Springs  are  situa- 
ted about  ten  miles  west  of  Williams, 
and  are  quite  a  resort  for  invalids. 
Crude  sulphur  is  found  in  quantities. 

Ee turning  to  Davis  we  start  again 
for  the  south. 

Just  after  crossing  Putah  Creek  we 
come  to  the  great  vineyard  belonging 
toaMr.Briggs.  It  contains  500  acres, 
the  greater  portion  of  which  is  devoted 
to  raisin  grapes,  the  balance  is  in  al- 
monds, figs,  apricots  and  other  fruit. 

Tremont  is  the  first  station  on  the 
bills,  3.79  miles  from  Davis,  but  here 
trains  seldom  stop. 


'Xo.  45  Annex.— The  Geysers— No.  17  of 
our  large  series  of  views  gives  a  very  truthful 
picture  of  this  "wonderful  region.  Here  extremes 
meet  in  a  most  astonishing  way,  if  the  diversity 
of  mineral  springs  can  be  called  extremes, as  they 
are  over  two  hundred  in  number  and  possess 
every  variety  of  characteristics ;  some  are  hot 
and  others  are  icy  cold ;  some  contain  white 
sulphur,  some  black,  some  red,  or  yellow;  others 
alum— and   boiling  alum  at  that;  others  iron; 

others  soda ;  others oh,  well,   it's  idle  to  go 

on  particularizing.  You  have  but  to  name  your 
spring,  and  it  is  ready  for  you.  Side  by  side  boil 
and  bubble  the  hottest  of  hot  springs,  and  the 
coldest  of  cold  ones,  being  frequently  but  a  few 
inches  apart  Indeed,  so  closely  do  they  lie  to- 
gether that  the  greatest  care  must  be  exercised 
lest  one  should  step  knee-deep  into  a  boihng  cal- 
dron or  an  icy  bath.  Even  the  rocks  become 
thoroughly  heated,  and  quantities  of  magnesia, 
sulphur,  alum,  epsom  salts,  and  many  other 
chemicals,  lie  thickly  strewn  about,  making  a 
sort  of  druggist's  paradise.  The  noises,  too,  and 
the  smells,  are  as  diversified  as  the  character  of 
the  springs ;  some  hiss,  some  murmur,  some 
roar.  Of  these  springs,  one  is  known  as  the 
"Devil's  Grist-Mill ;"  another,  the  "Calliope ;" 
then  the  "Steamboat  Geyser,  the  "Witche's  Cal- 
dron," the  "Mountain  of  Fire,"  the  latter  of 
■which  contains  more  than  a  hundred  apertures, 
and  in  all  of  these  are  shown,  each  for  itself,  some 
interesting  and  remarkable  peculiarity.  (See 
route  to  the  Geysers  on  pages  198  and  200.) 

I¥o.  53  Annex.  [From  pages  210  and  211.] 
Yo-Semite  and Bl^  Trees- JBa;ample,by  the 
aew  Madera  Route,  for  a  trip  of  less  than  5  days. 
Take  Sleeper,  ana  leave  San  Francisco  (say  on 
Monday)  at  4  p.  m.,  dine  at  I.athrop,  at  8  p.  m., 
arrive  at  Maderia  at  12 :10  a.  m.,  Tuesdaymorn- 
ihg.  Rest  in  sleeper  until  5  :30,  breakfast,  take 
stage  and  leave  at  6  a.  ni. ,  arrive  at  Clark's  at  3 
p.  m.,  and  Yo-Semite  at  7  p.  m.    Distances  : 

From  San  Francisco  to  Lathrop 94   miles. 

Iiathrop  to  Madera 91       " 

Madera  to  Clark's 61       " 

Clark's  to  Yo-Semite 24       " 

Total 260. 

Time,  27  hours. 

Stay  in  Valley  two  days. 
Returning,  leave  the  Valley  at  1  p.  m.  Thurs- 
day ;  arrive  at  Clark's  at  6  p.  m. ;  leave  Clark's  Fri- 
day, 6  a.  m.,  via  Big  Trees,  and  arrive  at  Madera 


at  7  p.  m.,  and  take  sleeper ;  leave  Madera  Satur- 
day 4 :15  a.  m.,  reach  Lathrop  for  breakfast,  and 
arrive  in  San  Francisco  at  12  :35  p.  m.  Special 
Sleepers  run  between  San  Francisco  and  Madera, ' 
giving  two  full  nights'  rest,  avoiding  early  and 
late  changes,  and  many  annoyances  heretofore 
experienced  by  the  tourist. 

The  new  wagon  road  from  Clark's  into  and 
through  the  Mariposa  Grove  of  Big  Trees — 427  in 
number,  the  largest  being  24  feet  in  diameter- 
enables  the  tourist  to  spend  a  i>ortion  of  a  day  in 
the  Grove  without  additional  charge  and  make 
the  same  connections. 

The  old  route  is  to  Merced,  by  same  train,  stop 
over  attheElCapitanHotel,and  next  morning  take 
coaches  via  either  SneUing  and  Coulterville,  or 
via  Mariposa.  Taking  the  CoulterviUe  route,  12 
miles,  at  Marble  Springs,  is  Bowers'  Cave ;  20 
more,  Hazel  Green.  From  Hazel  Green,  eleva- 
tion b,699  feet,  a  fine  view  of  the  great  San  Joa- 
quin Valley  can  be  obtained.  Here  the  McLane 
wagon  road  leads  off  to  the  Merced  Grove  of 
Trees.  At  Crane  Flat,  34  miles  from  Coulterville, 
a  trail  leads  off  to  the  Tuolumne  Grove  of  Big 
Trees,  one  mile  distant.  There  are  31  trees,  the 
largest  being  36  feet  in  diameter.  The  first  view 
of  Yo-Semite  is  had  at  Valley  View,  40  miles 
from  Coulterville  and  12  miles  from  Yo-Semite. 
Distance  by  this  route  is  about  245  miles. 

The  Mariposa  route  is  via  the  town  of  Maripo- 
sa, 46  miles,  thence  to  Clark's  31  miles.  At 
Clark's ,  a  road  leads  to  theMariposa  grove  of  trees. 

STAGE  CO.  TOURIST  TICKET  BVTES.  ' 

Exc.    1.  San  Francisco  via  Madera  to  Yo- 
Semite  and  Return $59.00 

Exc.    3.  Lathrop  via  Madera  to  Yo-Semite 

and  Return 54.00 

Exc.    5.  San  Francisco  via  Merced  to  Yo- 
Semite  and  Return 55.00 

Exc.    7.  Lathrop  via  Merced  to  Yo-Semite 

andReturn 50.00 

Exc.    9.  Madera  to  Yo-Semite  and  Return  45.00 
Exc.  11.  Merced  "  "  "         "        45.00 

Exc.  13.  Madera  "  «         (Single  Trip)   25.00 

Exc.  15.  Merced  «  «  «         «         25.00 

Sam.  MiUer,  Tourist  Agent,  Palace  Hotel,  San 
Francisco. 

We  give  the  above  "Example"  that  those  whose 
"time  is  money,"  can  calculate  accordingly.  Pas- 
sengers can  leave  SanFranciscoatthe  same  time 
every  day  in  the  week,  and  make  the  same  time 
on  a  round  trip,  or,  can  stop  over  as  long  as  they 
choose.    Tickets  good  until  used. 


crofutt's  new  overland  tourist 


185 


Dixon— is  4.26  miles  from  Tremont, 
and  is  quite  a  thrifty  town,  situated  in 
the  midst  of  a  fine  agricultural  section 
of  Solano  county.  It  has  several  hotels, 
and  a  1 1  umber  of  stores.  It  is  3.35  miles  to 
Batavia — and  4.84  miles  to 

Elmira— which  has  a  pop.  of  800, 
most  of  whom  are  agriculturalists. 
Here  the  Vaca  Yalley  railroad  branches 
off  to  the  north,  through  Yolo,  the  great 
wheat  county,  27  miles  to  Madison. 

Cannon— is  a  flag  station,  3.97  miles 
from  Elmira,  and  6.85  miles  from 

ISnisnn — near  the  town  of  Fairfield, 
county  seat  of  Solona  county,  situated 
on  a  broad  plain,  with  a  population  of 
1,000,  and  rapidly  increasing.  Small 
schooners  come  up  the  slough  from  the 
Sacramento  Eiver,  to  near  the  town. 

Trom  Sacramento  to  this  station  our 
train  has  followed  the  track  of  the 
California  Pacific,  once  called  the 

Vallejo  Koute— It  was  distant  by 
rail  from  Sacramento  to  Vallejo  60 
miles,  and  from  Vallejo,  via.  steamers 
over  San  Pablo  Bay,  26  miles,  making 
86  miles  to  San  Francisco.  This  route 
is  now  changed— but  let  us  go  and  see. 
From  Fairfield,  it  is  5.38  miles  to 

Bridgeport— Just  before  reaching 
the  station,  a  short  tunnel  is  passed, 
through  a  spur  of  the  western  range, 
which  is  thrown  out  to  the  south,  as 
though  to  bar  our  progress,  or  to  shut 
in  the  beautiful  little  valley  in  the 
center  of  which  is  located  the  station. 

The  grade  now  begins  to  increase,  as 
our  train  is  climbing  the  Suscol  Hills, 
which  border  San  Pablo  Bay.  These 
hills  are  very  productive,  the  soil  being 
adobe.  To  the  tops  of  the  highest  and 
steepest  hills  the  grain  fields  extend, 
even  where  machinery  cannot  be  used 
in  harvesting.  In  the  valley  through 
which  we  have  passed  are  several  thriv- 
ing towns,  but  not  in  sight. 

From  Bridgeport  it  is  3.83  miles  to 

Creston— but  we  will  not  stop,  but 
roll  down  through  the  hills  bordering 
the  bay,  3.7  miles  to 

Napa  Junction— Here  we  are  in 
Napa  Valley,  which  is  on  the  west ;  be- 
yond are  the  Sonoma  hills,  over  which 
is  the  Sonoma  Valley;  to  the  south- 
ward San  Pablo  Bay.  At  this  junction, 
we  meet  the  Napa  Valley  branch, 
which  runs  north  to  Calistoga,  35  miles. 


(For  a  description,  see  page  196). 

Continuing,  our  route  is  now  south, 
along  the  base  of  the  hill  we  have  just 
crossed,  which  also  runs  south  to  the 
Straits  of  Carquinez,  the  outlet  of  the 
Sacramento  River,  which  flows  into 
San  Pablo  Bay.  The  Fair  Grounds 
of  the  counties  of  Napa  and  Sonoma 
are  passed,  on  the  right,  8.2  miles,  and 
three  miles  further  appears  North  Val- 
lejo, 1.1  miles  more.  South  Vallejo, 
where  the  boats  once  laid  which  con- 
veyed passengers  over  San  Pablo  and 
San  Francisco  Bays,  26.25  miles  to  the 
City  of  San  Francisco.  A  description 
of  this  route  across  the  bay,  will  be 
found  on  page  196.  As  North  and 
South  Vallejo  are  virtually  <we,  we 
shall  speak  of  them  as 

Vallejo— The  town  is  situated  on 
the  southeastern  point  of  the  high- 
rolling,  grass-covered  hills  bordering 
Vallejo  Bay,  which  is  about  four  miles 
long  and  a  half  mile  wide,  with  24  feet 
of  water  at  low  tide.  The  harbor  pos- 
sesses excellent  anchorage,  and  vessels 
are  securely  sheltered  from  storms. 
The  largest  vessels  find  safe  waters; 
and  here  are  laid  up  the  United  States 
ships  when  not  in  use  on  this  coast. 
The  naval  force,  including  the  moni- 
tors, on  this  side,  all  rendezvous  here. 
On  Mare  Island,  just  across  the  bay, 
are  the  Government  works,  dry  docks, 
arsenals,  etc.,  employing  500  men.  The 
finest  section  dock  on  the  coast  is  loca- 
ted on  the  island,  just  in  front  of  the 
town ;  connected  by  ferry-boats. 

The  population  of  Vallejo  is  7,000. 
It  has  two  newspapers,  the  Times  and 
the  Chronicle,  daily  and  weekly.  The 
Bernard  and  the  Howard  are  the  two 
principal  hotels.  It  has  some  fine  build- 
ings—churches,and  schools.  The  Orphan 
Asylum,  a  fine  structure,  stands  on  an 
elevation  to  the  east  of  the  town.  There 
are  some  very  large  warehouses,  and  a 
great  many  vessels  are  loaded  here  with 
grain  for  foreign  ports ;  it  is  also  the 
southern  terminus  of  the  California 
Pacific  railroad,  which  connects  here 
with  ferry  boats  that  cross  the  Straits 
to  the  Vallejo  Junction,  on  the  Over- 
land Route,  (see  page  187). 

Returning  to  Suisun,  it  is  6.31  miles 
to  Teal,  5.18  miles  to  Goodyears,  and 
5.76  more  to 


PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


18T 


Benicia— formerly  the  capital  of 
the  State,  at  the  head  of  ship  naviga- 
tion, and  contains  about  2,000  inhabi- 
tants. It  is  a  charminnr,  quiet,  ramb- 
ling old  town,  with  little  of  the  noise 
and  bustle  of  the  busy  seaport. 

The  United  States  arsenals  and  bar- 
racks are  located  near  the  town,  and 
are  worthy  a  visit.  Benicia  is  celebra 
ted  for  her  excellent  schools.  The 
only  law  school  in  the  State  is  located 
here,  and  also  a  young  ladies' seminary. 

The  Straits  of  Carquinez— pronounc- 
ed kar-kee-nez— are  about  one  and  a 
half  miles  in  width,  through  which  the 
Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin  Hi  vers 
reach  San  Pablo  Bay,  five  miles  west. 
In  front  of  the  city  a  long  ferry  slip 
has  been  built  by  the  E.  K.  Co.,  and 
another  on  the  west  side  of  the  Straits, 
at  Port  Costa.  These  slips  are  of  piles  18 
inches  in  diameter,  of  an  average 
length  of  05  feet,  braced  and  bolted  m 
the  strongest  manner  possible ;  between 
these  slips  plies  the 

ISolano,  the  largest  steam  ferry-boat 
in  the  world.  To  avoid  the  heavy 
grades  by  the  way  of  Livermore  Pass, 
and  the  detour  necessary  to  reach  Sac- 
ramento, via.  San  Pablo  and  Stockton, 
at  the  same  time  to  shorten  the  route, 
has  for  many  years  been  a  desideratum 
with  the  Railroad  company.  They 
finally  settled  on  this  route  which  has 
the  advantage  of  being  49  miles  shorter 
than  the  Livermore  route,  and  61 
miles  less  than  by  Martenez  and  Tracy. 

"When  this  route  waa  decided  upon 
the  next  thing  was  to  cross  the  Straits 
and  build  a  ooat  that  could  take  on 
board  a  large  number  of  freight  carg, 
or  an   entire  passenger  train. 

The  "Solano^  is  the  same  length  as 
the  City  of  Tokio,  and  has  the  greatest 
breadth  of  beam  of  any  vessel  afioat. 
Her  dimensions  are:  Length  over  all, 
424  feet;  length  of  bottom— she  has  no 
keel — 406  feet ;  height  of  sides  in  centre, 
18  feet,  6  inches;  height  of  sides  at 
each  end  from  bottom  of  boat,  15  feet, 
10  inches;  moulded  beam,  64  feet;  ex- 
treme width  over  guards  116  feet; 
width  of  guards  at  centre  of  boat,  25 
feet,  6  inches;  reverse  shear  of  deck, 
2%  feet  She  has  two  vertical  steam 
engines  of  60-inch  bore,  and  11-inch 
stroke.  The  engines  have  a  nominal 
horse  power  eadi,  but  are  capable  of 


being  worked  up  to  2,000  horse  power 
each.  The  wheels  are  30  feet  in  diam- 
eter, and  the  face  of  the  baskets,  IT 
feet.  There  are  24  baskets  in  eacb 
wheel,  80  inches  deej).  She  has  eight 
steel  boilers,  each  being  of  the  follow- 
ing dimensions:  Length  over  all,  2S^ 
feet;  diameter  of  shell,  7  feet;  14$. 
tubes,  16  feet  long  by  four  inches  diam- 
eter each;  heating  surface  1,227  feet; 
grate  surface  224  feet;  entire  heating: 
surface,  0,816  feet ;  entire  grate  surface^ 
1,702  feet  The  boilers  are  made  in 
pairs,  with  one  steam  smoke-stack  to- 
each  pair,  6  feet  and  6  inches  in  diam- 
eter. She  has  4  iron  fresh-water  tanks^ 
each  20  feet  long,  and  6  feet  in  diame- 
ter :  registers  483,541, 31-100  tons.  She  is  a 
double  ender,  and  at  each  end  has  four 
balance  ruddei-s,  each  ll^^  feet  long 
and  h}4,  feet  in  depth.  They  are  con- 
structed with  coupling  rods,  and  each 
has  one  king  pin  in  the  centre  for  the 
purpose  of  nolding  it  in  place.  The 
rudders  are  worked  by  an  hydraulic 
steering  gear  operated,  by  an  indepen- 
dent steam  pump,  and  responds  al- 
most instantaneously  to  the  touch.  The 
engines  are  placed  fore  and  aft,  and  op- 
erate entirely  independent,  each  opera- 
ting one  wheel.  This  arrangement  of  the^ 
engines  and  paddles  makes  the  boat 
more  easily  handled  entering  or  leaving 
the  slips,  or  turning  quickly  when  re- 
quired, as  one  wheel  can  be  made  to 
go  ahead  and  the  other  to  reverse  at 
the  same  time.  One  wheel  is  placed 
eight  feet  forward,  and  the  other  eight 
feet  abaft  the  center  of  the  boat.  It 
has  four  tracks  running  from  end  to 
end,  with  the  capacity  or  48  freight,  or 
24  passenger  cars.  In  its  construction^ 
1,500,000  feet  of  lumber  were  used. 
Many  of  the  timbers  are  over  100  feet, 
long;  four,  the  Keelson's  are  117  feet, 
long,  each  measuring  4,032  feet. 

Leaving  the  station,  our  road  bed  has, . 
in  many  places,  been  blasted  through 
high  rocky,  narrow  spurs.  Soon  after 
passing  one  of  these  cuts,  we  catch  the 
first  glimpse  of  San  Pablo  Bay  ahead. 
Next  to  the  right.  Mare  Island,  and 
further  to  the  right  itill,  Vallbjo. 
(See  page  185.) 

Valona— IB  2.65  miles   from  Port- 
Costa,  from  which  it  is  half  a  mile  to 

Vallejo  Junction— opposite  th^ 
city  of  Vallejo,  between 


188 


CROFCTT'S  NEW  OVERLAND  TOURIST 


which  ply  a  line  of  ferry  boats  connect- 
ing with  the  California  Pacific  11.  R.  for 
Napa,  Calistoga  and  the  Geyser  springs. 
Soon  after  our  train  passed  Val^  »na,  a 
«ide  track,  it  rolled  into  a  long  tunnel  cut 
through  one  of  the  largest  of  the  many 
narrow  rocky  spurs  which  slope  down 
from  the  mountains  on  the  left  to  the 
waters  of  the  straits  on  the  right,  like  so 
many  huge  mountain  fingers  thrust  out 
tantalizingly  to  bar  our  progress.  How- 
ever, the  annoyance  is  but  momentary, 
for  as  we  emerge  from  the  dark  tunnel 
to  the  glorious  sunlight,  a  vision  of  beauty, 
one  of  the  most  diversified,  suddenly  ap 
pears,  as  though  by  magic,  before  our 
wondering  eyes.  What  a  glorious  view! 
"Words  can  never  do  justice  to  the  picture. 
Across  the  narrow  straits  to  the  right,  is  the 
harbor  and  city  of  Yallejo,  with  the  Suscal 
Hills  rising  in  the  back  ground  close  to  the 
eastward.  Mare  Island  is  one  mile  to  the 
west,  across  the  inlet;  to  the  north,  away 
beyond  all,  is  beauteous  Napa  Valley,  at 
the  head  of  which,  forty  miles  away,  is 
Mount  St.  Helena ;  still  further,  and  more 
to  the  left  are  to  be  seen  the  mountains 
in  which  are  situated  the  great  Geyser 
Springs  of  California.  Turning  now  more 
to  the  westward,  our  eye  falls  upon  the 
Sonoma  Hills,  Sonoma  Valley,  Petal  uma, 
Santa  Rosa,  and  Russian  River  Valleys,  the 
richest  and  most  productive  in  the  world; 
beyond,  and  bordering  these  are  the  great 
Redwood  Forests  of  California ;  still  farther 
rise  the  long  blue  outline  of  the  Coast 
Range.  This  range,  which  bounds  our 
vision  to  the  west,  extends  south  to  the  Gol- 
den Gate.  The  most  elevated  peak  is  Mt. 
Tamalpais,  2,601  feet  high.  To  the  south- 
ward and  left  of  our  train,  we  behold  a 
beautiful  narrow  valley,  extending  for 
miles,  even  to  the  rugged  heights  of  the 
Contra  Costa's.  Nestling  in  the  center 
of  all  these  magnificent  surroundings  — 
like  a  vast  diamond — and  sparkling  from 
its  countless  m^-riads  of  ripples,  is  San  Pa- 
blo Bay,  ten  miles  in  diameter,  dotted  here 
and  there  with  the  keels  of  commerce,  and 
borderered  with  the  deep  evergreen  of  a 
semi-tropical  country.  Travelers  write  of 
the  beauties  of  the  Bay  of  Naples,  the 
Lake  of  Como,  etc.,  but  we  venture  the  as- 
sertion that  for  diversity  of  scenery,  extent 
of  vision  and  magnificent  coloring,  few 
views,  if  any,  can  compare  with  the  one 
obtained  from  this  point  of  San  Pablo  Bay, 
•and  the  surrounding  country 

Running  along  on  the  water  edge,  and  I 


crossing  numerous  creeks  and  inlets, 
through  another  tunnel,  passed  Torma, 
another  side  track,  eleven  miles  from  Mar- 
tinez,  brings  our  train  to 

Pinole— a  small  village  with  several 
large  warehouses  and  a  long  pier  extend, 
ing  out  into  the  bay  for  the  accommodation 
of  boats  and  vessels  touching  at  this  place. 
The  country  now  presents  a  better  agricul- 
tural appearance,  less  rocky,  the  hills  are 
not  so  high,  are  cultivated  to  the  top,  and 
produce*  abundant  crops. 

Four  miles  further  we  pass  Sobrante, 
a  side  track,  cross  several  beautiful  valleys 
and  San  Pablo  creek  and  stop  at 

l^an  Pablo — three  miles  from  So- 
brante.  The  town,  of  about  500  population, 
is  nearly  one  mile  to  the  eastward,  nestling 
in  besicle  the  mountain  foot-hills,  embow- 
ered in  evergreens  and  surrounded  by  well- 
cultivated  lands. 

We  are  now  opposite  the  lower  end  of 
San  Pablo  Bay.  The  neck  of  land  extend, 
ing  three  miles  out  to  the  westward  is  the 
southern  boundary  of  the  Bay,  the  extreme 
point  of  which  is  known  as  Point  Pedro. 

Soon  after  leaving  San  Pedro  station,  the 
passenger  will  get  the  first  glimpse  of  San 
Francisco,  the  Golden  Gate,  and  their  most 
prominent  surroundings,  the  view  improv- 
ing with  each  revolution  of  the  wheels. 

The  side  track  stations  of  Barrett, 
Stege,  and  Point  Isabel,  are  each  passed 
in  as  many  miles,  and  another  mile  brings 
us  to  Delaware  St.,  opposite  the  town  of 
Berkley,  which  is  situated  about  one 
mile  to  the  left,  beside  the  same  moun- 
tains that  we  have  been  attempting  to  "sur- 
round "  for  the  last  seventy  miles. 

A  short  distance  before  reaching  the  last 
station,  that  building  on  the  high  point  to 
the  right,  is  the  Powder  Works ;  the  large 
one  to  the  left,  50  yards  from  the  track,  is  the 
Cornell  Watch  Factory.  The  view  ob- 
tained at  certain  points  along  here  of  the 
city  of  San  Francisco,  the  Golden  Gate, 
the  Bay  and  its  Islands,  are  very  fine. 

Two  miles  further  we  pass  the  Stock 
Yards,  a  side  track,  near  which  are  located 
extensive  yards  for  stock  and  several  large 
slaughter-houses,  then  pass  Shell  Mound 
Park, — a  "  road  house" — and  two  miles 
further  stop  at 

Oakland,  16th  St-(See  Oakland 
page  182 .)     Its  one  mile  further  to 

Oakland  Point— or  West  Oakland, 
and  rolls  down  the  pier,  two  miles  in  length, 
toward  Sundown,  to  the  ferry-boat  which 
conveys  passengers  over  the  waters,  3.7-10 


AXD    PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


189 


miles  to  the  city  of  San  Francisco.    (See 

large  illustration  of  "  Birds  Eye  view  of 

San  Francisco,  and  surrounding  countiy,") 

Oakland  llVharf— is  on  the  end  of 

this  pier.  Until  the  building  of  a  pier  at 
this  place,  the  only  harbor  of  Oakland  was 
to  the  eastward,  at  the  mouth  of  San 
Antonio  Creek,  the  water  to  the  westward 
being  quite  shallow  for  a  long  distance 
from  shore.  The  ferry-boats  leave  and  ar- 
rive to  and  from  San  Francisco,  at  this 
wharf  every  half-hour,  and  trains,  many 
times  composed  of  18  or  20  passenger  cars, 
run  in  connection  with  the  boats  to  Oak- 
land, Berkley,  and  other  points. 

The  Pier — is  built  of  the  best  materials, 
and  in  the  most  substantial  manner,  with 
double  track  and  carriage-way  extending 
the  whole  length.  There  are  three  slips. 
The  one  to  the  north  is  600  feet  long,  and 
will  accommodate  the  largest  bhips,  the 
water  bein^  263^  feet  in  depth  at  low  tide, 
and  32  at  high  tide.  On  each  side  of  the  slip 
are  erected  large  warehouses,  one  of  them 
€00x52  feet,  the  other  500x52  feet  with 
tracks  running  through,  for  the  purpose  of 
loading  and  discharging. 

The  next  slip  south  was  built  to  accom- 
modate   the    "Thoroughfare."       This 


steamer  was  designed  expressly  for  taking 
freight  cars  and  cattle  across  the  bay.  Her 
capacity  is  16  loaded  cars  and  pens  for  16 
car-loads  of  cattle — 288  head — making  32 
car-loads  in  all.  She  once  made  a  trip 
across  the-  bay,  loaded,  running  a  distance 
of  three  and  a  half  miles  in  22  minutes. 
The  boat  is  260 -feet  on  deck,  38  feet  beam, 
with  flat  bottom.  The  engines  are  200 
horse  power ;  cylinders,  22x84,  and  were  con- 
structed at  the  company's  shops  in  Sacra- 
mento. 

The  south  slip  is  the  passenger  slip, 
where  lands  the  regular  ferry-boat  between 
Oakland  and  San  Francisco.  On  each 
side  of  this  slip  is  a  passenger-house — one 
30x70  feet,  the  other  40x50  feet.  In  these 
buildings  are  located  (lie  division  offices  of 
the  Railroad  Company.  They  afford  om/ple 
accommodations  for  passengers,  and  the 
enormous  travel,  the  advance  guard  of 
which  has  on\j  just  c^mmenced  to  arrive. 

The  first  ship  that  loaded  at  this  pier 
was  the  "Jennie  Eastman,"  of  Bath,  Eng- 
land. She  commenced  loading  August 
4th,  1870,  for  Liverpool,  with  wheat, 
brought— some  from  San  Joaquin  Valley, 
but  the  greater  portion  from  the  end  of  the 
California  and  Oregon  railroad,  230  miles 


PALACfc.    liUll  L,  ^AX    IRANCISCO. 

A.  D.  Shabon,  Lessee. 


See  Aij  nex  No.  50, 


190 


ceofutt's  new  overland  toueist 


north  of  San  Francisco. 

It  is  hardly  understood  yet  by  the  people 
of  the  world,  that  the  China,  Japan,  Sand- 
wich Island,  and  Australian  steamships, 
and  ships  both  large  and  small,  can  land 
at  this  pier,  load  and  unload  from  and  into 
the  cars  of  the  Pacific  railroad ;  and  those 
cars  can  be  taken  through,  to  and  Irom  the 
Atlantic  and  Pacific  Ocean,without  change ; 
that  immense  quantities  of  goods  are  now 
transported  in  that  way,  much  of  them  in 
BOND,  in  one-tenth  the  time  heretofore  oc- 
cupied by  steamships  and  sailing  vessels. 
When  these  facts  are  fully  understood, 
and  the  necessary  arrangements  made, 
the  rush  of  overland  freight  traffic  will 
commence,  the  extent  of  which,  within  the 
next  twenty  years,  few,  if  any,  can  realize. 

From  the  landing  place  of  the  "Thorough, 
fare,"  in  San  Francisco,  a  rail  track  leads 
to  the  dock  of  the  Pacific  mail,  and  other 
ocean  steamships,  and  goods  are  now 
transferred  in  that  way  in  bond,  but  the 
time  is  not  far  distant,  when  all  foreign 
vessels,  with  goods  for  "across  the  conti- 
nent," will  land  at  this  pier. 

The  Railroad  Company  have  taken 
ample  precautions  against  fire  on  this  pier, 
by  providing  the  two  engines  that  are  em- 
plo3^ed  doing  the  yard  work,  with  force- 
pump  attachments,  steam  from  the  loco- 
motive boilers,  and  supplied  with  reels  of 
hose  and  suction-pipe  so  ari'anged  that 
water  can  be  used  from  their  tanks  or  the 
bay. 

Behold  !— As  we  stand  at  the  end  of 
this  pier— almost  in  the  middle  of  San 
Francisco  Bay — and  think  back  only  thirty 
years,  we  are  lost  in  wonder  and  astonish- 
ment. Here  are  already  two  great  cities 
within  a  few  miles  of  where  we  stand;  the 
smallest  has  34,700,  while  the  largest  teems 
with  over  233,066  inhabitants -^repre- 
sentatives from  every  land  and  clime  on 
the  face  of  the  earth.  In  1847  not  500 
white  settlers  could  be  found  in  as  many 
hundred  miles,  and  not  one  ship  a  year 
visited  this  bay.  Now  there  are  seven 
large  steamships  in  the  China  trade,  six  in 
the  mail  service  via  Panama,  thirty-four 
more  regularly  engaged  on  tlie  coast  from 
Sitka,  on  the  north;  to  South  America, 
Honolulu,  Australia,  New  Zealand,  on  the 
south ;  besides  hundred  of  ships  and  sail- 
ing vessels  of  every  description— all  busy- 
all  life.  Here,  too,  at  the  end  of  this  pier, 
is  the  extreme  western  end  of  the  grand 
system  of  American  railways  which  has 
sprung  into   existence   within  the   same 


thirty  years.  How  fast  we  live!  The 
gentle  breeze  of  to-day  was  the  whirlwind 
of  fifty  years  ago.  Will  we — can  we — con- 
tinue at  the  same  ratio  V  But  why  specu- 
late ?  It  is  our  business  to  write  what  is 
taking  place  to-day;  so  we  will  now  step 
on  board  the  feiTy-boat  and  take  a  look 
around  while  crossing  the  bay. 

Goat  Island,  or  "  Terba  Btiena,^^  is 
about  one  mile  distant  froin  the  end  of  the 
pier,  close  to  the  right.  It  is  nearly  round, 
840  feet  altitude,  containing  350  acres.  It 
belongs  to  the  Government.  Beyond,  look- 
ing over  the  broad  expanse  of  water,  the 
mountains  of  Marin  county  loom  up  in  the 
distance,  the  highest  point  being  Mount 
Tamalpais,  2,604  feet  high.  It  is  in  the 
Coast  Range  of  mountams,  at  the  south 
point  of  which  is  Golden  Gate,  with  Al- 
catraz  Island  in  the  foreground.  Directly 
in  front  is  the  city  of  San  Francisco.  The 
highest  point  to  the  right  is  Telegraph 
Hill — the  highest,  far  beyond,  a  little  to 
the  left,  is  Lone  Mountain.  In  the  center, 
that  high  building,  looming  up  above  all 
others,  is  the  Palace  Hotel ;  to  the  left  the 
Bay  of  San  Francisco. 

But  we  are  at  the  ferry ;  here  passengers 
will  find  "buses"  for  all  prominent  hotels, 
or  street  cars  that  pass  them  all;  fare, 
five  cents. 

Il$aii  Francisco — Ah  !  here  we  are 
at  sundown,  at  the  extreme  western  city 
of  the  American  Continent.  Population, 
233,066,  and  increasing  rapidly. 

On  landing  at  the  ferry-slip  in  the  city, 
the  first  thing  required  is  a  good  hotel. 
Now,  if  there  is  any  one  thing  that  San 
Francisco  is  noted  for  more  than  another  it 
is  for  its  palatial  hotels.  The  Palace,  Bald- 
win, Lick,  Occident,  Cosmopolitan  and 
Grand,  are  all  first-daaa,  both  in  fare  and 
price — charges  from  three  to  five  dollars 
per  day*  The  Brooklyn,  Russ,  American 
Exchange,  and  International,  are  good 
hotels,  at  charges  from  $2  to  $2.50  per  day. 
Then  there  are  a  great  many  cheaper 
houses,  like  the  "What  Cheer,"  with  rooms 
from  25  to  75  cents  per  night,  with  restau- 
rant meals  to  order. 

San  Francisco  is  situated  on  the  north 
end  of  the  southern  peninsula,  which, 
with  the  northern  one,  separates  the  waters 
of  San  Francisco  Bay  from  those  of  th<. 
Pacific  Ocean.  Between  these  peninsulas 
is  the  GoiiDEN  Gate,  a  narrow  strait,  one 
mile  wide,  with  a  depth  of  30  feet,  con- 
necting the  bay  with  the  ocean. 
I     The  city  presents  a  broken  appearance. 


AND  PACIFIC    COAST   GUIDE. 


191 


owing  to  a  portion  being  built  on  the  hills, 
which  attain  quite  a  respectable  altitude. 
From  the  tops  of  these  hills  a  very  fair 
view  of  the  city  can  be  obtained. 

A  large  portion  of  the  city  is  built  on 
land  made  by  filling  out  into  the  bay. 
Where  the  large  warehouses  now  stand, 
eliips  of  the  Jieavieslr tonnage  could  ride  in 
«afety  but  a  few  years  ago.  To  protect  this 
made  land,  and  also  to  prevent  the  anchor- 
age from  being  destroyed,  a  sea-wall  has 
been  built  in  front  of  the  city. 

The  climate  is  unsurpassed  by  that  of 
any  large  sea-port  town  in  the  United 
States — uniformity  and  dryness  constitu- 
ting its  chief  claim  to  superiority.  There 
is  but  little  rain  during  the  year — only 
about  half  that  of  the  Eastern  States.  The 
mean  temperature  is  54  deg.,  the  variation 
being  but  10  deg.  during  the  year. 

San  Francisco,  in  early  days,  suflered 
fearfully  from  fires.  The  city  was  almost 
completely  destroyed  at  six  different  times 
during  the  years  of  1849,  '50,  '51,  and  1853. 
The  destruction  has  been  estimated  in 
round  numbers  to  exceed  $26,000,000.  The 
result  of  these  fires  has  been  that  nearly  all 
the  buildings  built  since  1853  have  been 
built  of  brick,  stone,  or  iron — particularly 
in  the  business  portion.  The  city  has 
many  magnificent  private  residences,  and 
cosy  little  home  cottages,  ornamented  with 
overgreens,  creeping  vines,  and  beautiful 
flowers.  The  yards  or  grounds  are  laid 
out  very  tastefully,  with  neat  graveled 
walks,  mounds,  statues,  ponds,  and  spark- 
ling fountains,  where  the  "crystal  waters 
flow." 

The  first  Tumse  was  built  in  San  Fran- 
Cisco  in  1835.  The  place  was  then  called 
"  Yuba  Buena  " — changed  to  San  Francisco 
in  1847,  befo^^e  the  discovert/  of  gold.  The 
city  is  well  built  and  regularly  laid  out 
north  of  Market  street,  which  divides  the 
city  into  two  sections.  South  of  this 
the  streets  have  an  eastern  declination  as 
compared  with  those  running  north.  The 
city  is  situated  in  latitude  87  deg.  48  sec. 
north ;  longitude,  120  deg.  27  min.  west. 

The  principal  wharves  are  on  the  east- 
ern side  of  the  city,  fronting  this  made 
land.  North  Point  has  some  good  wharves, 
but  from  the  business  portion  the  steep 
grade  of  the  city  is  a  great  objection. 

The  city  is  amply  supplied  with  schools, 
both  public  and  private.  There  is  no  in- 
stitution of  the  city  wherein  the  people 
take  more  interest  and  pride ;  none,  of  the 
credit  and  honor  of  which  they  are  more 


jealous.  Some  of  the  finest  buildings  ol 
the  city  were  built  for  school^urposes,  the 
Denman  and  Lincoln  school  houses  being 
the  finest  of  the  number. 

There  are  churches  of  all  kinds,  creeds, 
and  beliefs,  including  several  Chinese 
"Joss  Houses."  The  Jewish  syn'igogue  is 
the  finest  among  them,  situated  on  Sutter 
street. 

The  Newspaper,  and  Magazine,  are 
the  histories  of  the  present,  and  the  person 
who  does  not  read  them  must  be  ignorant 
indeed.  Californians  are  a  reading  people ; 
and  he  that  comes  uere  to  find  fools  brings 
his  brain  to  a  very  poor  market. 

There  are  in  the  city  65  newspapers  and 
periodicals,  thirteen  of  which  are  daily. 
The  dailies  are  the  Alta  GalifoTiiian^  the 
Bulletin,,  Morning  Gall,  Morning  Ghroni- 
de,  Post,  Examiner,  Abend  Post  (German), 
Bemokr at  (German),  Gourrierde  8an  Fran- 
cisco (French),  Mail,  Stock  Exchange,  Stock 
Report,  and  the  Galifornia  Nmjos  Notts, 
illustrated.  The  Golden  Era,  and  Spirit  of 
the  Times,  are  weekly  literary  and  sporting 
papers.  The  News  Leiter,  and  the  Argo- 
naut, are  spicy  weeklies.  The  Mining 
and  Scientific  Press,  and  the  Pacific  Rural 
Press,  are  first-class  weekly  journals  in 
their  specialties.  Here,  too,  is  published, 
the  Journal  of  Commerce^  the  best  pa- 
per of  the  kind  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  The 
Coast  Review,  is  the  great  insurance  au- 
thoriiy  of  the  Pacific  coast— monthly. 
Here,  also,  is  Wentworth's  Resources  of 
California,  an  invaluable  Journal.  If 
among  all  these  publications  you  can 
find  nothing  to  suit  yon— nothing  neto— 
why,  then,  surprise  the  Bible,  by  reading 
it,  and  you  may  profit  by  its  teachings. 
The  Markets  of  San  Francisco  are  one 
of  the  features  of  the  city ;  those  who  never 
saw  the  fruit  and  vegetables  of  California 
should  visit  the  markets.  No  other 
country  can  produce  fruit  in  such  pro- 
fusion and  perfection.  The  grapes,  peaches, 
pears,  etc.,  on  exhibition  in  the  city  mar- 
kets, represent  the  best  productions  of  all 
parts  of  the  State. 

"Frisco"  Brevities — The  new  City 
Hall  is  on  Market  street.  California  street 
is  the  Wall  street  of  the  city.  The  Branch 
Mint  of  the  United  States  is  located  in  the 
new  building,  northwest  corner  Mission 
and  5th  streets.  The  Post  Office  and 
Custom  House  are  on  Washington  street. 
Merchants'  Exchange  Building  is  on 
California  street.  The  Old  Stock  Ex- 
change  is  on  Pine  street ;  the  New  Stock 


192 


CROFUTT  S    NEW    OVERLAID    TOURIST 


Exchange  is  in  Leidsdorfl*  street.  Horse 
cars  run  to  alWmportant  points  in  the  city ; 
fare,  five  cents.  Mission  Bay  is  two  miles 
south  of  the  City  Hall.  Market  street  is 
the  Broadway  of  San  Francisco,  though 
Kearney  street  disputes  the  honor. 

The  Palace  Hotel  is  corner  Market  and 
New  Montgomery  streets  ;  (see  description, 
"Annex"  Ko.  50,)  the  Baldwin  Hotel, 
corner  Powell  and  Market  streets.  The  Cali- 
fornia Theatre  is  on  Bush  street,  also  the 
Bush  street  Theatre.  The  Baldwin  (Thea- 
tre) is  on  the  corner  of  Market  and  Powell 
streets.  There  are  three  Chinese  Theatres, 
where  many  of  the  "  tricks  that  are  vain," 
are  performed  nightly,  which  few  can  under- 
stand, yet  they  are  worth  one  visit. 

Water  for  the  city's  use  is  obtained  from 
Pillarcitos  Creek,  20  miles  south  of  the  city, 
in  San  Mateo  county;  Lake  Honda,  five 
miles  south,  being  used  as  a  reservoir.  Yet 
there  are  many  wells,  the  water  being  ele- 
vated by  wind-mills. 

The  Libraries  are  numerous.  The 
Mercantile,  on  Bush  street ;  the  Odd  Fel- 
lows, on  Montgomery  street;  the  Me- 
chanics' Institute,  on  Post  street ;  the  What 
Cheer,  at  the  "  What  Cheer  House,"  and 
the  Youn^  Men's  Christian  Association,  are 
the  principal  ones,  open  free  to  tourists 
upon  application.  Secret  Orders  are 
numerous  in  San  Francisco — too  numerous 
to  note  here. 

Scenery— The  magnificent  views  of 
Cai^e  Horn,  on  the  Columbia  Eiver, 
Mt.  Shasta,  the  Loop,Orange  Orchard, 
Woman  ofthePeriod,and  many  others 
in  this  book,  were  photographed  by 
C.  E.  Watkins,  227  Montgomery  street, 
who  has  an  enormous  collection  of 
views.  The  views  of  Mirror  Lake,  Ne- 
vada Falls,  and  many  of  those  on  the 
line  of  the  Central  Pacific,  which  we 
have  engraved  and  are  to  be  found  in 
this  book,  were  from  photographs 
taken  by  Thos.  Houseworth  &  Co.,  No. 
12Montgomerystreet,who  have  views, 
seemingly,  of  everything  and  every- 
body on  the  coast. 

The  Mechanics'  Pavilion  fronts  on 
the  corner  of  Mission  and  Eighth 
streets.  The  Mechanics'  Institute 
own  the  building  and  hold  their  fairs 
there. 

The  Dry  Dock,  at  Hunter's  Point, 
six  miles  southeast,  is  465  feet  long, 
125  feet  wide  and  40  feet  deep,  cut  in 
solid  rock,  at  a  cost  of  $1,200,000. 

Protrero  Ship  Yards  are  located  at 


Protrero,  and  are  reached  by  the  city  cars. 
All  kinds  of  small  craft  for  the  coast  service 
are  built  at  these  yards. 

China  Town  is  situated  on  Sacramento, 
above  Kearny;  Dupont,  between  Sacra- 
mento and  Washington  streets,  and  Jack- 
son street,  between  Dupont  and  Kearny. 
These  streets  are  occupied  exclusively  by 
Celestial  shopkeepers,  "Heathen  Chinese.'* 

The  Barbary  Coast,  a  noted  resort  for 
thieves,  cut-throats  and  the  vilest  of  the 
vile,  is  situated  on  Pacific  street,  between 
Kearny  and  Dupont  streets.  We  give  the 
precise  locality,  so  that  our  readers  may 
keep  away.  Give  it  a  "  wide  berth.,'"  as  you 
value  your  life. 

Angel  Island,  three  miles  north  of  the 
city,  is  a  mile  and  a  half  in  length  and 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  w^ide;  altitude  771 
feet.  On  this  island  are  quarries  of  brown 
and  blue  stone,  which  are  extensively  used 
in  the  city  for  building  purposes. 

Goat  Island,  or  "Yerba  Buena,"  two 
and  a  half  miles  east,  nearly  round,  con- 
tains 350  acres;  altitude,  340  feet. 

Alcatraz  Island,  a  mile  and  a  quarter 
north,  is  strongly  fortified.  The  summit  is 
140  feet  above  tide,  surrounded  by  a  belt  of 
batteries,  which  compiand  the  entrance  to 
the  harbor— a  "key  to  the  position."  These 
islands  are  all  owned  by  the  Government 

Point  Labose  is  six  miles  west.- 

Fort  Point  is  northwest  from  the  City 
Hall,  five  miles  at  the  south  end  of  Golden 
Gate.  It  is  the  most  heavily  fortified  on 
the  coast — on  the  plan  of  Fort  Sumter,  in 
South  Carolina. 

Telegraph  Hill,  to  the  north,  is  394 
feet  high. 

Russian  Hill  is  360  feet  high. 

Clay  St.  Hill  is  376  feet  high. 

The  Twin  Peaks,  four  miles  southwest, 
rise  1,200  feet.  The  visitor  can  obtain 
from  the  summit  of  these  peaks  a  fine  view 
of  the  whole  country  for  many  miles 
around  the  Golden  Gate,  and  the  Great 
Pacific  Ocean. 

Ferry-boats  run  regularly  between  San 
Francisco  and  Oakland,  Alameda,  San 
Quentin,  Berkley,  Sancelito. 

Th  ;  general  office  of  the  "  Central "  and 
Southern  Pacific  railroad  companies  is 
cor.  Townsend  and  Fourth  streets,  on  the 
south  side  of  the  city;  several  street  car 
lines  run  by  them. 

The  Seal  Rocks  are  six  miles  west, 
reached  Ly  a  beautiful  road. 

Steamers  leave  regularly  for  Vallejo,  26 
miles;  Benicia,  30;  Petaluma,   48;  Santa 


AND    PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


19$ 


Cruz,  76;  Monterey,  100;  Stockton,  110; 
Sacramento,  125;  San  Luis  Obispo,  209; 
Eureka,  233;  Crescent  City,  280;  Santa 
Barbary,  2S0;  San  Pedro,  364;  San  Diego, 
456;  Portland,  642;  Victoria,  V.  I.,  753; 
Mazatlan,  1,480;  Guaymas,  1,710;  La  Paz, 
1,802,  Acapulco,  1,808;  Sitka,  1,951 ;  Hono- 
lulu, 2,090;  Panama,  3,2S0;  Yokohama, 
4,764;  Hiogo,  5,104;  Auckland,  5,907; 
Shanghae,  5,964;  Hong  Kong,  6,384;  Sid- 
ney,  Australia,  7,183;  Melbourne,  7,700 
miles. 

The  Plaza,  Washington,  Union,  Co- 
lumbia, LoBos,  Hamilton,  and  Alamo 
Squares,  and  Yerba  Buena,  Beuna  Vista, 
and  Golden  Gate  Parks,  are  all  small,  ex- 
cept the  last,  which  contains  1,100  acres, 
but  very  little  improved.  The  Oakland 
and  Alameda  parks  are  largely  patronized 
by  San  Franciscans,  who  reach  them  by 
ferry-boat.  But  what  the  city  is  deficient 
in  parks,  is  made  up  by  the  Woodward 
Gardens,  for  an  account  of  which  see 
Annex  No.  44. 

Ocean  Steamships — for  sailing  days  and 
other  particulars,  see  Annex  No.  37. 

For  general  items  of  interest,  see  Annex 
No.  23. 


Here  we  are,  on  the  golden  shores  of 
California.  We  have  come  with  the 
traveler  from  ihefar  East  to  the  /a?*  West ; 
from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific— from 
where  the  sun  rises  out  of  the  waters  to 
where  it  sets  in  the  waters,  covering  an  ex- 
tent of  country  hundreds  of  miles  in  width, 
and  recording  a  telegram  of  the  most  im- 
portant places  and  objects  of  interest — 
brief,  necessarily,  but  to  the  point — and  we 
feel  ceilain  that  a  pardon  would  be  granted 
by  the  reader,  if  we  n(m  bade  this  country 
farewell,  and  started  on  our  return  trip. 
But,  how  can  we  ?  It  is  a  glorious  country, 
so  let  us  make  a  few 

a&jfive,  and  then  we  will  start  on  our  trip 
towards  Sunrise,  via  the  Southern  Route. 

Moutel. -^To the  Seal RocKS.six  miles 
west;  procure  a  carriage.  Early  in  the 
morning  is  the  best  time  to  start,  as  the 
coast  breeze  commences  about  eleven 
o'clock,  after  which  it  will  not  be  so 
pleasant.  We  will  be  fashionable — ^get  up 
early— and  drive  out  to  the  "  Cliff  House" 
for  breakfast. 

Within  the  first  two  miles  and  a  half,  we 
pass  a  number  of  cemeteries ;  some  of  them 
contain  beautiful  monuments  and  are  very 


tastefully  ornamented.  The  principal  ones- 
are  the  Lone  Mountain,  Laurel  Hill  and 
Odd  Fellows.  In  the  Lone  Mountain, 
cemetery,  on  our  right,  under  that  tall  and 
most  conspicuous  mc.nument,  which  can. 
be  seen  for  many  miles  away,  rests  the  re- 
mains of  the  lamented  Senator  Broderick,. 
who  fell  a  victim  of  the  "  Code  Duello,'* 
through  jealousy  and  political  strife.  Near 
by  are  the  monuments  of  Starr  King,. 
Baker,  and  many  others,  whose  lives  and 
services  have  done  honor  to  the  State.  On 
the  summit  of  Lone  Mountain,  to  the  left^ 
stands  a  large  cross,  which  is  a  noted  land- 
mark, and  can  be  seen  from,  far  out  to  sea. 

In  a  little  valley,  close  to  the  road,  we- 
pass,  on  the  right,  surrounded  by  a  high 
fence,  one  of  the  most  noted  Race  Course* 
in  the  State. 

From  the  citv  the  road  leads  over  a  suc- 
cession of  sand-hills ;  from  the  summit  of 
some  of  these  we  catch  an  occasional 
glimpse  of  the  ''Big  Drink''  in  the  distance,, 
the  view  seeming  to  improve  as  we  gain 
the  summit  of  each,  until  the  last  one  is- 
reached,  when  there,  almost  at  our  feet^ 
stretching  away  farther  than  the  eye  can 
penetrate,  lies  the  great  Pacific  Ocean,  in 
all  its  mysterious  majesty.  We  will  be 
sure  to  see  numerous  ships,  small  craft 
and  steamers,  the  latter  marked  by  a  long 
black  trail  of  smoke.  They  are  a  portion 
of  the  world's  great  merchant  marine, 
which  navigate  these  mighty  waters,  going 
and  coming,  night  and  day,  laden  with  the^ 
treasure,  and  the  productions  and  repre* 
sentatives  of  every  nation,  land  and  clime. 

Close  on  our  right  is  the  Golden  Gate,, 
with  the  bold  dark  bluffs  of  the  northern 
peninsula  beyond.  The  "Gate"  is  open^ 
an  invitation  to  all  nations  to  enter — but 
beside  them  ars  the  "  Boys  in  Blue,"  with 
ample  fortifications,  surmounted  by  the^ 
"Bull  Dogs"  of  "Uncle  Sam,"  standing^ 
ready  to  close  them  at  the  first  signal  of 
danger. 

Our  descent  from  the  summit  of  the  last 
hill  seems  rapid,  as  we  are  almost  lost  in 
admiration  of  the  magnificence  spread  out 
before  us,  until  we  arrive  at  the 

Cliff  House — The  stranger  on  the  road, 
and  at  the  Cliff  House,  would  think  it  a. 
gala  day — something  unusual,  such  grand  ^ 
"turn-outs,"  and  so  many.  The  fact  is,  " 
this  "Drive"  is  to  the  San  Franciscan 
what  the  "  Central  Park "  is  to  the  New 
Yorker — the  "  style  "  of  the  former  \s  not 
to  be  outdone  by  the  latter.  The  drive  out 
is  always  a  cool  one,  and  the  first  thing. 


194 


crofutt's  new  overland  tourist 


usually  done  on  arriving  is  to  take  a  drink — 
water — and  then^  order  breakfast — and  such 
nice  little  private  breakfast  rooms!  Oh, 
these  Californians  know  how  to  tickle  your 
fancy. 

Hark!  »  Tci-Hoi,  Toi-Hoi,  ToV  What 
the  deuce  is  that  ?  Those  hearing  us,  smile. 
We  do  not  ask,  but  we  conclude  it  must 
he  a  big  herd  of  healthy  donkeys  passing, 
Tvhen  two  gentlemen  enter  from  the  rear, 
-and  one  of  them  says :  "  Colonel,  (there  is 
no  low&r  grade  in  Galifornia)  I  will  bet 
jou  50  shares  in  the  Ophir  or  Virginia 
Consolidated,  that  General  Grant,  that  big 
seal  on  the  top  of  the  rock,  will  weigh 
^,000  pounds."  We  did  not  stop  to  hear 
more,  but  rushed  out  the  back  door  on  to  a 
long  veranda  running  the  whole  length  of 
the  house,  which  is  situated  on  a  project- 
ing cliff,  200  feet  above,  and  almost  over- 
hanging the  waters,  when  "  Yoi-Hoi,  Toi- 
Hoiy  Toi  " — and  there  were  our  donkeys, 
500  yards  aw^,  laying  on,  scrambling  up, 
plunging  off,  fighting,  and  sporting  around 
three  little  rocky  islands.  The  largest  of 
these  islands  is  called  "  Santo  Domingo." 
It  is  quite  steep;  few  can  climb  it.  A 
«leek,  dark-looking  seal,  which  they  call 
Ben.  Butler,  has  at  times  attempted  it ;  but 
^way  up  on  the  very  top — basking  in  the 
■8un,  with  an  occasional  "  Yoi-hoi,  boyi'' — 
lies  General  Grant,  the  biggest  whopper 
•of  them  all.  We  knew  him  at  the  lirst 
sight.  He  had  something  in  his  mouth, 
And  looked  wise.  Often  when  the  din  of 
his  fellow  seals  below  become  fearful, 
who  are  ever  quarreling  in  their  efforts  to 
•climb  up,  his  ''Toi-hoi,  Boyi''  can  be 
heard  above  them  all — which,  in  seal 
language,  means,  ''Let  us  have  peace.'" 
:Sea  fowls  in  large  numbers  are  hovering 
on  and  around  these  rocks.  They,  too,  are 
irery  chattering,  but  we  have  no  time  to 
learn  their  language,  as  here  comes  a 
rsteamer  bound  for  China.  (See  illustration, 
page  195.)  It  steams  in  close  to  the  islands, 
and  we  think  we  can  discern  some  of  our 
fellow  travelers  "across  the  continent" 
among  the  passengers.  They  are  on  a  trip 
""  around  the  world,"  and  are  waving  their 
<5omplimenti*  to  the  Greneral  on  the  top  of 
the  rock. 

Just  around  that  projecting  point  of  land 
1o  the  northwest  are  Farallones  Islands, 
«even  in  number,  thirtv  miles  distant,  in 
the  Pacific  Ocean,  totally  barren  of  every- 
thing but  seals,  sea-lions,  and  water-fowls. 
These  are  very  numerous.  Many  of  the 
seals  will  weigh  from  2,000  to  3,000  lbs.. 


and  are  quite  tame  (see  illustration,  page 
65),  as  they  have  never  been  disturbed 
by  hunters ;  the  birds  —  and  thev  are 
legion — which  inhabit  these  islands,  lay 
millions  of  eggs  every  year,  which,  until 
1871,  were  gathered  and  sold  in  the  San 
Francisco  markets.  The  islands  are  all 
rocks;  the  highest  peak  is  surmounted 
with  a  light-house  of  the  first  order,  340 
feet  above  the  water. 

Breakfast  is  called ;  being  fashionable, 
we  take  another — water — and,  while  eating 
a  hearty  meal,  learn  that  these  seals  are 
protected  by  the  laws  of  the  State  against 
capture,  and  something  of  their  habits; 
then  pay  our  bill,  and  the  ostler  his  de- 
tainer, take  our  seat,  and  whirl  around 
over  abroad  winding  road,  which  is  blasted 
out  of  the  rocky  bluff  on  our  left  to  the 
sandy  beach  below. 

Right  here  we  meet  Old  Pacific  Ocean 
himself— face  to  face  —  near  enough  to 
''shake."  He  is  a  good  fellow  when  he  is 
himself— pac2^(j — but  he  drinks  a  great 
deal,  perhaps  too  much ;  but  certain  it  is 
he  gets  very  noisy  at  times — veiy  turbu- 
lent.  In  driving  along  the  beach,  we  come 
to  one  of  tlie  evidences  of  his  fearful 
wrath.  Do  you  see  that  ship  laying  on  her 
side?  , 

One  night,  after  a  big  carousal,  when  it 
was  said  Old  Pacific  had  been  drinking  a 
great  deal — more  than  usual — and  was  in 
a  towering  passion,  he  drove  this  ship 
up  almost  high  and  dry  on  the  beach, 
where  you  see  her.  Not  content  with  that, 
he  chased  the  escaping  occupants  far  into 
the  sand  hills,  throwing  spars,  masts,  and 
rigging  after  them. 

Thank  you !  We  don't  want  any  of  that 
kind  of    pacific  in  ours^ 

We  will  now  keep  our  eye  on  Old  Pa- 
cific, and  drive  along  down  the  beach,  by 
several  fine  hotels,  and  then  turn  into  the 
sand-hills  to  the  left,  passing  over  a  high 
point,  where  some  fine  views  can  be  had 
of  the  surrounding  country,  and  around  to 
the  old  Mission  Dolores.  Here  is  food  for 
the  curious.  But  we  cannot  afford  to  stop 
here  long,  as  Boreas  is  getting  waked  up, 
and  is  sliding  the  sand  over  the  bluffs 
after  us — rather  disagreeable.  This  Mis- 
sion  was  founded  in  1775,  by  Spanish  mis- 
sionaries,  who,  for  over  60  years,  wielded  a 
mighty  influence  among  the  native  Cali- 
fornians (Indians).  In  its  most  prosperous 
days,  the  Mission  possessed  76,000  head  of 
stock  cattle,  2,920  horses,  820  mules, 
79,000  sheep,  2,000  hogs,  456  yoke  of  work- 


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AND    PACIFIC    COAST   GUIDE. 


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CROFUTT  S    NEW    OVERLAND   TOURIST 


ing  oxen,  180,000  bushels  of  wheat  and 
barley,  besides  $75,000  worth  of  merchan- 
dize and  hard  cash. 

The  greater  portion  of  all  this  wealth 
was  confiscated  by  the  Mexican  Govern- 
ment, so  that  when  California  became  a 
portion  of  the  United  States  little  re- 
mained, except  these  old  adobe  walls  and 
grounds,  together  with  about  600  volumes 
of  old  Spanish  books,  manuscripts  and 
records. 

Returning  to  the  city,  we  pass  many 
objects  of  mterest  well  worthy  of  notice, 
and  through  a  portion  of  the  city  rapidly 
building  up,  and  in  a  substantial  manner. 

Route  2,— 'AX  the  wharf,  beside  Oak- 
land  Ferry,  we  will  find  one  of  the  large 
steamboats  that  run  in  connection  with  the 
Vallejo  route;  let  us  step  on  board,  and 
note  what  can  be  seen.  Leaving  the  wharf, 
our  course  is  north,  with  the  Oakland 
wharf,  the  route  by  which  we  come — far  to 
the  right,  as  also  Goat  Island.  On  our 
left  is  Alcatraz,  with  its  heavy  fortifications, 
beyond  which  is  the  Golden  Gate ;  a  little 
farther  to  the  northward,  is  the  Coast 
Range,  with  Mt.  Tamalpais  as  the  high- 
est peak ;  elevation,  2,604  feet. 

Looking  back,  we  have  a  beautiful  view 
of  the  city;  a  little  further  on,  Oakland, 
West  Oakland,  and  Berkley  on  the  right, 
with  the  Contra  Costa  Mountains  for  a 
back-ground.  Now  we  pass — on  the  left — 
Angel  Island,  San  Quintin,  and  San  Rafael, 
in  the  order  written.  Now  comes  the 
"Grandfather,"  a  huge  red  rock  on  the 
left,  above  the  "  Old  Man  and  Woman." 

Continuing  on,  we  come  to  the  "  Two 
Brothers,"  on  which  is  located  San  Pablo 
light-house;  beyond  these  are  the  "Two 
Sisters,"  making  seven  rocky  islands. 
Opposite  the  light-house,  on  the  right,  is 
Point  Pedro,  which  projects  out  from  the 
mountains  on  the  east,  far  to  the  westward, 
as  though  to  bar  our  progress. 

Rounding  this  "point,"  we  enter  San 
Pablo  Bay,  which  spreads  out  to  the  right 
and  left  for  many  miles.  Away  to  the  far 
right  can  be  seen  a  portion  of  the  town  of 
Berkley,  and  further  north,  San  Pablo, 
through  which  runs  the  regular  overland 
trains  via  Martinez,  as  noted  on  pages 
186-187-189. 

Passing  on,  we  come  in  front  of  the 
Straits  of  Carquinez,  through  which  flows 
the  Sacramento  River — as  noted  on  page 
187.  We  have  left  a  broad  expanse  of 
water  on  our  left,  over  which  steamers  run 


to  Petaluma — as  noted    in   route  No.  3. 

Entering  through  a  narrow  channel, 
with  Mare  Island  close  on  our  left,  we 
land  at  the  wharf  at  Vallejo,  take  the  cars 
of  the  California  Pacific,  and  roll  along  to 
the  Napa  Valley  Junction,  where  we  were 
before,  while  making  a  trip  over  the 
"  Vallejo  Route."    (See  page  183.) 

Napa  Junction— by  this  route  it  is 
33.55  miles  from  San  Francisco,  and  52.87 
from  Sacramento.  Leaving  the  Junction 
we  roll  up  the  beautiful  valley  3.74  miles  to 

Thompson — a  signal  station,  passed  by 
our  train,  as  also  many  groves  of  young 
trees  on  our  right,  and  beauty  on  every 
side.    From  Thompson  it  is  4.12  miles  to 

Napa  City  — Although  this  is  Napa 
City,  county  seat  of  Napa  county,  on  Napa 
River,  and  the  Napa  Valley  railroad,  the 
people  by  no  means  look  sleepy,  but  as 
bright  as  though  they  had  just  come  <mt  of 
a  nap,  or  from  a  "nip." 

This  is  a  lively  town,  of  about  5,000 
inhabitants,  at  the  head  of  tide-water  navi- 
gation for  vessels  and  steamers  of  light 
draught ;  supporting  one  daily  paper,  the 
Reporter,  and  one  weekly,  the  Record. 

it  is  in  the  midst  of  a  country  noted 
for  its  mild  and  genial  climate,  the  great 
fertility  of  its  soil,  and  its  many  well- 
cultivated  vineyards — producing  annually 
over  300,000  gallons  of  wine  and  brandy. 
It  is  completely  hedged  in  by  various 
spurs  of  the  Coast  Range.  The  valley  is 
about  40  miles  in  length,  by  an  average 
width  of  four  miles.  This  county  is  much 
distinguished  for  its  meaicinal  springs,  the 
most  noted  of  which  are  the  Soda  Springs, 
White  Sulphur,  and  the  Calistoga.  Near 
all  these  springs  huge  hotels  have  been 
erected,  which  are  crowded  in  sum- 
mer by  residents  of  this  State,  as  well  as 
tourists  from  the  East,  who  visit  them  for 
health  and  pleasure. 

At  the  head  of  this  valley  —  in  plain 
view — is  located  Mt.  St.  Helena,  an  extinct 
volcano,  which  rises  3,243  feet  above  tide. 
The  whole  section  around-about  bears  evi- 
dences of  the  volcanic  upheaval  that  once 
lit  up  this  whole  country. 

Near  Napa  City  is  located  one  of  the  two 
State  Insane  Asylums — we  found  the  other 
near  Stockton— completed  at  a  cost  of 
over  $1,000,000,  and  capable  of  accommo- 
dating 800  persons.  It  is  of  brick,  and 
stands  on  an  eminence  about  a  mile  and  a 
half  from  the  city,  to  the  east.  Four  first- 
class  seminaries  and  colleges — for  the  edu- 
cation of  girls  and  boys — besides  many 


AND    PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDi:. 


197 


public  schools,  are  at  Napa,  so  educational 
advantages  are  all  right. 

Among  the  good  things  at  Napa,  are  the 
Palace  and  Revere  hotels,  the  first  named, 
a  very  large  house  near  the  depot. 

The  Soda  Springs  are  situated  about  six 
miles  to  the  eastward,  on  the  side  of  the 
mountain.  The  water  from  these  springs 
has  become  quite  celebrated;  a  large 
amount  of  it  being  bottled  annually,  and 
shipped  to  all  parts  of  the  State. 

Stages  leave  Napa  daily  for  Sonoma,  12 
miles  west,  continuing  to  Santa  Rosa,  12 
miles  further ;  also  to  Monticello,  25  miles ; 
Kiioxville,  50  miles  northeast. 

Leaving  Napa,  we  cross  Napa  Creek, 
and  roll  along  through  rows  of  locust 
trees,  planted  on  each  side  of  the  road, 
and  on  the  right  are  to  be  seen  a  few  mam- 
moth cactus  pads,  close  to  the  track.  A 
run  of  5.1  miles  and  we  come  to 

Oak  Knoll— the  country  residence  of 
Mr  Woodward,  of  Woodward  Gardens, 
San  Francisco.  The  farm  contains  1,000 
acres,  nearly  all  under  cultivation.  Of 
this  farm  120  acres  are  devoted  to  fruit  and 
nuts  of  many  varieties. 

Crossing  Dry  Creek,  we  come  to  a  black- 
berry  ranche  of  twelve  acres,  as  many 
people  in  this  valley  make  a  specialty  of 
raising  blackberries.  Oaks,  manzanitas, 
and  pines,  now  appear  in  places. 

From  Oak  Knoll,  it  is  3.52    miles  to 

YouTSViLLE — Here,  on  the  left  is  a  large 
wine  cellar,  built  of  brick ;  near  by  are 
large  vineyards;  further,  comes  Mason's 
vineyard  of  100  acres,  mostly  raisin  grapes, 
which  are  prepared  and  packed  here  for 
market.  A  run  of  3.39  miles  and  we 
are  at 

Oakville — Opposite,  on  the  side  of  the 
mountain,  can  be  seen  a  quicksilver  mine, 
marked  by  a  red  formation. 

Rutherford — is  the  next  station,  1.95 
miles  from  the  last.  Fine  residences  line 
the  foot  of  the  mountain  on  each  side,  the 
whole  length  of  the  valley,  many  com. 
pletely  embowered  in  shade  and  fruit  trees 
of  several  varieties. 

Passing  on,  we  find  another  large  wine 
cellar  on  the  right,  and  1.94  miJes  from 
Rutherford  comes  Bello — a  signal  station 
with  vineyards  and  another  big  wine 
cellar. 

Passing  along  through  this  beautiful 
yalley,  with  huge  moss-covered  oaks,  vine- 
yards and  fields  on  each  side,  2.07  miles  is 

St.  Helena  —  This  is  a  town  of 
about  1,200  p 'pulation,    on    the  western 


side  of  the  valley,  in  the  -midst  of  vine- 
yards; in  fact,  there  are  vineyards  an<J 
orchards  in  every  direction,  some  embrac- 
ing hundreds  of  acres.  Near  by  is  the  gr*»at 
vineyard  and  orange  orchard  of  King. 

The  town  has  many  neat  residences, 
and  one  weekly  paper,  the  8ta/r.  The 
White  Sulphur  Springs  are  situated  about 
two  miles  west  of  the  town,  to  which 
"busses"  run  regularly.  The  White  Bul- 
phur  Hotel  is  the  place  to  stop. 

Leaving  St.  Helena,  we  come  to  a  farm 
of  500  acres,  115  acres  of  which  are  in  a 
vineyard.  Here,  on  the  left,  is  another 
large  wine  cellar,  near  the  road.  This  val- 
ley, particularly  this  portion,  is  called 
"  safe  land,"  meaning  thereby  that  it  can 
always  be  depended  upon  for  a  crop,  as  the 
fall  of  rain  is  sufficient  every  year  to  raise 
a  crop,  and  irrigation  is  unnecessary. 
Barro,  a  signal  station,  is  1.98  mile8 
further,  where  the  valley  is  about  two  miles 
in  width,  with  vineyards  extending  away 
up  on  the  side  of  the  hills.  From  Barro  it 
is  2.1  miles  to  Bale,  another  side-track  of 
little  interest  to  the  tourist,  1.53  miles  from 
Walnut  Grove,  still  another  small  signal 
station.  Oaks  are  thick  along  these  bot» 
toms,  and  present  a  beautiful  appearance- 
Occasionally  we  will  see  the  madrone  and 
a  few  Monteray  cypress,  with  some  eu- 
calyptus trees, 

Napa  Creek,  which  has  been  along  the 
road  on  either  one  side  or  the  other,  the 
whole  length  of  the  valley,  has  dwindled 
down  to  nothing. 

Continuing  on,  up  through  beauty  o» 
every  hand,  2.86  miles  from  the  last  station^ 
we  arrive  at  the  end  of  the  road  at 

Calistoga — which  is-the  most  popular  of 
all  the  summer  resorts,  near  the  bay.  The 
spring  are  just  east  of  the  depot,  the  water 
of  which  is  hot  enough  to  boil  an  egg  in 
two  minutes,  and  are  said  to  possess  great 
medicinal  qualities,  having  already  won  a 
high  local  reputation.  In  the  town,  every 
accommodation  in  the  way  of  hotels,  etc., 
is  afforded  to  the  numerous  visitors  who 
annually  gather  here  to  drink  and  bathe  in 
the  invigorating,  water,  enjoy  the  unsui> 
passed  hunting  and  fishing  in  the  vicinity, 
and  above  all,  to  breathe  the  pure  air  of  the 
charming  little  valley,  while  viewing  the 
beautiful  mountain  scenery. 

The  population  of  the  town  is  about  500 : 
the  principal  hotels  are  the  Magnolia  ana 
Cosmopolitan;  the  paper  which  is  sup- 
posed to  furnish  "  all  the  news  "  is  a  weekly, 
called  the  Galistogian.    Calistoga  is  sit. 


198 


CEOFUTT  S   NEW    OVERLAND   TOURIST 


n 


uated  at  the  he.ad  of  the  valley,  68.15  miles 
from  San  Francisco,  surrounded  on  three 
sides  with  the  mountain  spurs  of  the  Coast 
Range,  as  well  as  by  vineyards  and 
orchards;  wine  cellars— well,  they  are 
thicker  here  than  quarlz  mills  at  Virginia 
City. 

The  Petrified  Forest — is  distant 
about  five  miles,  and  consists  of  about  forty 
acres  of  ground,  covered  more  or  less  with 
petrified  trees,  some  very  large,  eleven  feet 
in  diameter  at  the  stump.  These  trees  are 
nearly  all  down,  some  nearly  covered  with 
earth  and  volcanic  matter,  while  the  ground 
sparkles  with  silica.  They  will  well  re- 
pay a  visit  from  the  curious. 

Stage  lines  are  numerous  from  Calistoga ; 
first,  to  the  northward,  it  is  17  miles  to 
Middleton;  20  to  Harbern  Springs;  20 
to  Guenoc;  35  to  Lower  Lake,  and  45 
to  Sulphur  Banks,  where  that  suspicious 
mineral  can  be  shoveled  up  by  the 
cart-load.  To  the  northeast  it  is  78  miles 
to  Pine  Flat;  26  miles  to  Geysers;  26 
miles  to  Qlenbrook;  41  to  Kelseyville; 
48  to  LakePoint,  situated  on  the  west  shore 
of  Clear  Lake,  a  fine  resort  at  all  seasons, 
but  particularly  in  summer.  To  the  south- 
west it  is  five  miles  to  the  Petrified  Forest, 
eight  to  Mark  West  Springs  and  26  to  Santa 
Rosa. 

The  celebrated  Foss,  with  his  .stage, 
leaves  Calistoga  daily,  over  a  mountain 
road  unsurpassed  for  grand  scenery,  en 
route  to 

The  Geysers— These  springs,  with  their 
taste,  smell  and  noise,  are  fearful,  wonder- 
ful. We  have  been  told  that  "California 
beats  the  devil."  May  be,  but  he  cannot  be 
far  from  this  place.  Here  are  over  200 
mineral  springs,  the  waters  of  which  are 
hot,  cold,  sweet,  sour,  iron,  soda,  alum,  sul- 
phur— well,  you  should  be  suited  with  the 
varieties  of  sulphur !  There  is  white  sul- 
phur and  black  sulphur,  yellow  sulphur 
and  red  sulphur,  and  how  many  more 
sulphurs,  deponent  saith  not.  But  if 
there  are  any  other  kinds  wanted,  and  they 
are  not  to  be  seen,  call  for  them,  they  are 
there,  together  with  all  kinds  of  contending 
elements,  roaring,  thundering,  hissing,  bub- 
bling, spurting  and  steaming,  with  a  smell 
that  would  disgust  any  Chinese  dinner- 
party. We  are  unable  to  describe  all  these 
wonderful  things,  but  will  do  the  next  best 
thing.  (See  large  illustration  No.  17  and 
description  in  Annex  No.  45,  page  184.) 

The  Geyser  Hotel,  seen  through  the 
foliage  in  the  picture,  is  the  only  house 


which  provides  accommodations  at  the 
springs.  Steam  baths  and  other  kinds  will 
here  be  found  ample,  and  board  $14  per 
week.  In  the  region  of  the  springs,  are 
mines  of  quicksilver,  and  some  silver  mines 
that  are  being  worked  to  advantage. 

Returning  to  San  Francisco,  we  start  on 
Route  3. 
HvLik  Francisco   and   Horth 
Pacific  Railroad. 

General  Offices— San  Francisco. 

P.  Donahue Prefddent 

Arthur  Hughes General  Manager. 

P.  J.  McGiiYNN Gen.  Pass,  and  Ticket  Agent. 

Kepairmg  to  the  wharf,  a  short  distance 
north  of  the  Oakland  Ferry,  we  board  the 
steamer  Donahue,  belonging  to  this  road, 
and  proceed  up  the  bay,  as  in  route  No.  2, 
until  Pedro  Point  is  passed,  when  the 
course  is  more  to  the  westward,  to  the 
mouth  of  Petaluma  Creek,  a  very  crooked 
stream,  with  salt  marshes  on  each  side. 
About  six  miles  from  the  mouth  ot  the 
creek,  on  the  j  ight,  we  come  to  a  double- 
front  cottage,  which,  when  we  passed  up 
here  in  January,  1878,  stood  high  and  dry, 
above  the  marsh.  Several  days  after,  on 
the  downward  trip,  the  water  covered  the 
whole  bottom  in  one  broad  sheet,  and  was 
apparently  on  the  first  fioor  of  the  build- 
ing. When  it  is  understood  that  the  party 
who  settled  here  did  so  to  demonstrate 
that  he  could  reclaim  the  land  by  an 
original  system  of  dykes,  the  joke  will  be 
apparent,  and  to  him  an  aqueous  joke. 

From  the  mouth  of  the  creek,  it  is  about 
ten  miles  to 

Donahue— named  for  the  Presidert 
of  the  road.  It  is  situated  on  the  east 
bank  of  the  creek,  close  jn  beside  the 
bluff's,  or  Sonoma  Hills,  34  miles  from 
San  Francisco.  It  is  simply  a  landing  for 
the  boat  where  passengers  take  the  cars, 
which  stand  under  a  huge,  long  building 
on  the  end  of  the  wharf. 

Leaving  the  wharf,  the  Sonoma  Hotel  is 
close  on  the  right,  almost  on  the  water's 
edge.  Passing  along  beside  the  rolling 
hills,  which  are  cultivated  to  their  summit, 
one  mile  brings  us  to  Lakeville,  not  a 
very  pretentious  place,  but  from  which  a 
stage  leaves  daily  for  the  eastward,  over 
the  hills,  nine  miles  to 

Sonoma— This  town  is  a  quiet,  old  place, 
founded  in  1820,  and  contains  about  600 
inhabitants.  Many  of  the  old  original 
adobe  buildings  are  still  standing   in  a 


AND    PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


199 


good  state  of  preservation.  Sonoma  has 
the  honor  of  being  the  place  where  the 
old  "Bear  Flag"  was  first  raised.  It  is 
situated  in  the  Sonoma  Valley,  one  of  the 
richest  in  the  State,  and  id  celebrated  for 
its  vineyards  and  the  excellence  of  its 
wines.  Sonoma  is  not  without  its  railroad, 
**  It  once  had  the  "  Frismodial  "—single 
rail— but  this  has  given  way  to  the  Son- 
oma Valley,  which  runs  regular  trips  in 
connection  with  the  steamer  "Herald" 
to  and  from  San  "Francisco  and  Sonoma 
<laily— distance  about  43  miles. 

But  to  return  to  the  railroad,  which  we 
letl  at  Lakeville,  Rolling  hills  are  on  our 
right,  mostly  cultivated  to  their  summits, 
and  a  few  scattering  live-oaks ;  on  the  left, 
Petaluma  Creek,  salt  marshes,  and  in  the 
distance  a  high  ridge  of  the  Coast  Range. 
Seven  miles  from  Lakeville  is 

Petaluma — the  largest  town  in  Sonoma 
county,  with  a  population  of  about  4,500. 
It  contains  some  fine  large  business  blocks, 
two  good  hotels — the  American  and  the 
Washington.  The  Courier  and  the  Jowr- 
nal  Argus  are  two  weekly  papers,  pub- 
lished here.  The  town  is  on  the  west  side 
of  the  road,  situated  on  rolling  hills,  by 
the  side  of  which  runs  Petaluma  Creek, 
which  is  navigable  for  light-draft  boats 
at  high  tide.  Upon  and  around  these 
rolling  hills  are  some  beautiful  residences, 
ornamented  with  great  numbers  of  trees, 
among  which  are  the  oak,  eucalyptus, 
Monterey  and  Italian  cypress,  Norfolk 
Island  pine,  and  others,  presenting,  in 
connection  with  the  mountains  and  sur- 
rounding scenery,  a  view  most  charming 
and  delijrhtful. 

Stages  leave  Petaluma  daily  for  Sonoma, 
thirteen  miles  east.  We  understand  the 
Railroad  Company  have  a  track  graded 
and  nearly  readv  for  the  iron,  that  runs 
south  and  west  from  Petaluma,  along  the 
base  of  the  mountain  to  San  Rafael,  where 
a  crossing  will  be  made  to  San  Francisco. 

Leaving  Petaluma,  we  cross  Petaluma 
Creek  and  roll  along  three  miles  to 
Ely's,  a  flag  station,  amid  rolling  hills, 
at  the  head  of  Petaluma  Valley.  One  mile 
further,  we  come  to  a  beautiful  grove  of 
black  oaks  on  a  high  hill  to  the  right,  and 
we  ai  e  at  Penn's  Grove.  Here  we  cross 
the  divide  and  enter  the  Russian  River 
Valley.  Goodwin's  is  half  a  mile  further, 
a  small  flag  station  two  and  a  half  miles 
jfrom  Page's,  another  one  of  the  same  im- 
portance. Here  commences  the  Cotate 
Grant,  which  takes  in  the  hills  on  each 


side,  four  leagues  in  extent.  Two  and  a 
half  miles  from  Page's,  we  are  at  Cotatb 
Ranche,  a  flag  station  for  the  ranche  near 
by.  At  many  stations  along  are  to  be  seen 
cattle  pens  and  shutes,  indicating  that 
raising  and  fattening  cattle  for  market  i& 
one  of  the  industries  of  the  people  in  this 
section.  Here  we  find  manv  drooping, 
moss-covered  oaks.  Three  miles  more  and 
we  are  at  the  banner  town  of 

Santa  Rosa— population,  4,000.  This 
is  the  county  seat  of  Sonoma  county, 
situated  in  the  midst  of  one  of  the  richest 
valleys  in  the  State.  It  is  fifteen  miles  from 
Petaluma,  fifteen  miles  from  Healds- 
burgh,  thirty-three  miles  from  Cloverdale, 
and  fifty-seven  miles  from  San  Francisco. 
No  city  on  the  Pacific  coast  has  increased 
faster  within  the  last  five  years  than  Santa 
Rosa,  and  that  increase  has  been  marked 
by  substantial  brick  business  blocks,  large 
manufactories,  and  beautiful  private  resi- 
dences. 

The  city  has  water-works,  gas-house, 
railroads,  and  all  the  modern  improve- 
ments. Of  newspapers,  there  are  one  daily, 
the  Democrat;  and  one  weekly,  the  Times. 
The  Grand,  and  the  Occidental,  are  the 
two  principal  hotels. 

The  streets  of  the  city  are  broad,  set  out 
with  eucalypti  and  other  varieties  of  trees ; 
these,  with  the  surrounding  country,  afibrd 
many  very  beautiful  drives. 

Stages  leave  Santa  Rosa  daily  for  Mark- 
West  Springs,  ten  miles  east;  Petrified 
Forest,  fifteen  miles  (see  description,  page 
198);  and  Calistoga,  20  miles;  to  the  west, 
Sebastopol  is  seven  miles.  Average  fare  to 
these  places  is  ten  cents  per  mile.  The 
valley  of  Santa  Rosa,  in  which  the  town  is 
situated,  Russian  River  Valley,  and  Peta- 
luma Valley,  really  one^  are  60  miles  in 
length,  with  an  average  width  of  about  six 
miles. 

Sonoma  county  is  a  very  large  one,  ex- 
tending to  the  Pacific  Ocean  on  the  west 
In  the  western  portion  are  located  immense 
forests  of  redwood  timber,  which  we  shall, 
note  hereafter.  Vineyards  are  numerous 
as  well  as  orchards  where  immense  quan- 
tities of  oranges,  lemons,  plums,  limesy 
apples,  English  walnuts,  almonds,  apricots; 
and  other  fiuits  and  nuts  are  raised  for 
market.  There  are  nearly  7,000  acres  in 
vineyard — 5,000,000  vines — which  produce 
annually  full  2,500,000  gallons  of  wine,  and 
35,000  gallons  of  brandy.  Pomegranite 
trees  do  quite  well,  and  never  fail  a  crop. 
All  the  lands  in  this  county  are  classed  a» 


200 


CEOFUTT  S    NEW    OVERLAND    TOURIST 


*'  safe  lands  "  ;  owing  to  their  proximity  to 
the  ocean  the  rain-lall  is  abundant  for  all 
purposes. 

Darying,  is  an  important  industry,  yield- 
ing, from  official  reports,  2,750,000  pounds 
•of  butter,  400,000  pounds  of  cheese,  and 
milk— not  enough  figures;  the  amount  of 
inilk  marketed  is  not  recorded. 

In  mines,  Sonoma  is  well  represented ; 
gold,  copper,  and  quicksilver  are  the  prin- 
cipal metals.  lu  grain,  the  product  figui'es 
up  over  600,000  bushels  of  wheat;  30,000 
bushels  of  barley;  250,000  of  oats;  8,500 
bushels  of  coru,  and  many  other  kinds  of 
grain  in  proportion.  As  for  mineral 
springs,  why,  Sonoma  county  is  the  home 
of  all  kinds  of  springs,  chief  of  which  are 
the  Geysers,  Skaggs,  Mark  West,  and  the 
White  Sulphur. 

Pour   miles   from    Santa   Rosa   comes 

Pulton — a  small  town  at  the  junction  of 
the  Fulton  and  Gurneyville  Branch.  The 
stations  on  this  branch,  are:  Meacham's, 
two  miles ;  Laguna,  four  miles  further ; 
JForestville,  another  two  miles;  then  two 
miles  to  Greenvalley  ;  three  miles  more 
to  KoRBEL's,  and  another  three  to 

Gurneyville — in  the  midst  of  a  forest 
of  redwood.  Along  this  branch  road,  and 
at  Gurneyville,  are  located  six  sawmills, 
which  cut  150,000  feet  of  lumber  daily. 
One  of  the  largest  of  these  redwood  trees 
measured  344  feet  high,  and  18  feet  in 
diameter.  The  town  of  Gurneyville  is 
situated  on  Russian  River,  on  what  is 
known  as  "  Big  Bottom,"  in  the  finest  red- 
wood forest  in  the  State. 

Leaving  Fulton  and  crossing  Mark  West 
Creek,  the  first  station  on  the  main  line  is 
two  miles  distant,  called  Mark  West — 
jbut  our  ti  ain  will  not  stop,  unless  signaled. 
The  valley  along  here  is  ten  miles  in  width. 
Three  miles  further  comes 

Windsor —  a  small  place  four  miles 
from  Grant,  a  flag  station  which  is  two 
jniles  from 

Heraldsburg — reached  just  after  cross- 
ing the  Russian  River,  on  the  north  bank 
of  which  it  is  situated.  The  town  contains 
a  population  of  about  2,000.  Fifteen  miles 
from  Santa  Rosa,  and  72  from  San  Fran- 
cisco, is  Russian  Valley,  in  which  the 
town  is  located,  noted  for  its  great  yield  of 
wheat,  and  the  extraordinary  quickness  of 
its  soil,  producing  potatoes,  peas,  and  many 
other  vegetables  w  tLin  65  days  from  the 
time  the  seed  is  planted.  The  Mussian  Miver 
M<ig,  and  the  Enterprue,  are  weekly  pa- 
pers, published    hen-.      The  tourist  will 


find  excellent  hunting  and  fishing  near  by, 
with  ample  hotel  accommodations. 

From  Heaidsburg  the  valley  gradually 
narrows,  and  four  miles  further  brings  us 
to  LiTTON's  Springs,  a  signal  station,  near 
where  are  located  the  springs  of  the  same 
name.    Four  miles  further  is 

Geyserville  —  Here  stages  leave  for 
Skagg's  Springs — a  popular  resort — situ- 
ated at  the  side  of  the  mountain,  at  the 
head  of  Dry  Creek  Valley,  about  eight 
miles  west.  Truett's  is  six  miles  further, 
another  flag  station,  four  miles  from  the 
end  of  the  road,  at 

Cloverdale  —  Thii^  town  contains  a 
population  of  about  500,  with  two  hotels, 
the  United  States,  and  the  Cloverdale,  and 
one  weekly  newspaper,  the  News.  The 
town  nestles  in  at  the  mountain  base,  at 
the  head  of  the  Russian  River  Valley,  and 
is  55  miles  from  Donahue,  and  90  miles 
from  San  Francisco,  being  a  point  from 
which  several  stage  lines  radiate,  for  the 
northern  and  surrounding  country. 

Stages  —  four  and  six  horse  —  leave 
Cloverdale  daily,  for  the  Geysers,  16  mih  s 
distant,  over  one  of  the  finest  mountain 
roads  in  the  State.  It  is  built  on  a  uuiform 
grade  of  four  feet  to  the  hundred.  The 
owners  of  this  line — Van  Am  am  &  Ken- 
nedy— are  old  "knights  of  the  whip," 
drive  themselves,  and  often  make  the  trip 
in  one  and  a  half  hours.  The  fare  for 
the  round  trip  is  $4.50.  For  description  of 
the  Geysers,  see  Annex  No.  45,  page 
184,  and  the  large  illustration.  No.  17. 

Stages  run  north  to  Ukiah,  the  county 
seat  of  Mendocino  county, — 31  miles,  where 
connections  are  made  with  all  adjoining 
towns ;  also,  to  the  northeast,  to  Hopeland, 
on  the  Russian  River,  16  miles;  Highland 
Springs,  22  miles;  Kelseyville,  25  miles; 
Lakeport,  36  miles ;  Upper  Lake,  42  miles ; 
and  Bartlet Springs — a  great  medical  resort 
— 63  miles.  To  the  northwest,  they  run  to 
Boonville,  31  miles;  North  Fork,  50  miles ; 
Navaro  Ridge,  63  miles ;  Little  River,  70 
miles ;  Salmon  Creek,  72  miles ;  and  Men- 
dicono  City,  75  miles;  average  fare  to 
all,  ten  cents  per  mile. 


Returning  to    San  Francisco    we  take 
Route  4, 
Korth  Pacific  Coast  Railroad. 

General  Ofllces — San  Francisco. 
Jno.  W.  Dohebtt.  .President  and  Gen.  Mmiager. 

David  Nye Superintendent, 

F.  B.  Latham.  . .  .Qen'l  Passenger  and  Ticket  Ag't 
This  road  is  a  three-foot  narrow  gauge, 


AND    PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


201 


built  and  equipped  in  the  best  manner, 
traversing  a  section  of  the  country  very 
attractive  to  the  tourist.  It  runs  in  a  north- 
westerly direction  from  San  Quentin  and 
Saucilito,  on  the  west  side  of  the  bay, 
twelve  miles  distant.  The  road  has  two 
southern  termini,  which  unite  at  Junction, 
17  miles  from  San  Francisco.  The  bay  is 
crossed  by  ferry  from  Davis  St.,  for  Sau- 
cilito, ana  from  San  Quentin  Ferry — 
Market  St.  wharf— for  San  Quentin.  We 
will  take  the  latter  route,  which  for  nearly 
ten  miles  will  be  the  same  as  No.  2 ;  then, 
the  route  will  be  more  to  the  westward. 
When  near  the  point  of  Angel  Island,  on 
the  left,  the  little  town  of  Saucilito  can  be 
seen  nestling  close  in  beside  the  mountain. 
Between  Saucilito  and  Angel  Island  runs 
Raccoon  Straits.  Mt.  Tamalpais  now 
looms  up  away  to  the  left.  Nearing  the 
shore,  also  on  the  left,  is 

San  Quentin — a  noted  place  of  sum- 
mer and  winter  resort.  The  resident  tour- 
ists number  from  600  to  1,000,  their  term 
of  residence  varying  from  six  months  to  a 
life-time.  The  quarters  for  their  accom- 
modation are  furnished  by  the  State,  free  of 
charge.  The.  Lieutenant-Governor  exer- 
cises personal  supervision  over  the  guests, 
assisted  by  many  subordinates  and  a  com- 
pany of  soldiers.  The  guests  come  here, 
not  of  their  own  will,  but  through  their 
folly,  and  we  believe  they  would  quit  the 
place,  if  they  could.  By  law  it  is  known 
as  the  State  Prison.  The  buildings  are  of 
brick,  large,  and  readily  distinguished,  on 
the  point  to  the  left  of  the  landing.  Chang- 
ing for  the  cars,  we  glide  along  on  the  edge 
of  the  bay,  with  oak  and  shrub  covering 
the  rolling  hills  on  the  lefr,  one  and  a-half 
miles,  and  arrive  at 

San  Rafael — the  county  seat  of  Marin 
county ;  population,  about  3,000.  It  was 
settled  in  1817  by  the  Jesuit  missionaries. 
It  is  situated  in  a  beautiful  little  valley, 
on  low  rolling  hills  in  view  of  the  bay 
and  San  Francisco,  and  of  late  has  become 
a  thriving  suburban  town. 

The  town  contains  several  good  hotels, 
and  two  weekly  papers,  the  Herald  and  the 
Journal.  Along  the  streets,  and  around 
the  private  residences^  are  many  shade 
trees,  among  which  are  the  blue  gum,  oak, 
Monterey  cypress,  spruce  and  pine,  which 
present  a  beautiful  appearance.  Proceed- 
ing through  the  town  two  miles,  we  reach 
the 

Junction— Here  connects  the  branch 
track  from  Saucilito ;  let  us  digress  long 


enough  to  come  up  on  that  route.  Leaving 
Davis  St.  Ferry,  in  San  Francisco,  the 
course  is  almost  due  west  for  six  miles  to 

Saucilito— a  small  town  situated  close 
in  beside  the  mountains  of  the  Coast 
Range,  containg  a  population  of  about  300. 
On  the  trip  across  the  bay,  a  beautiful  view 
can  be  had  of  the  northwestern  portion  of 
San  Francisco,  Alcatraz,  the  Golden  Gate, 
and  the  forts  located  there.  At  Saucilito 
%ve  take  the  cars  and  soon  come 
to  the  shops  belonging  to  the  Railroad 
Company;  three  miles  further,  Lyford's j 
another  mile,  the  Summit;  two  more, 
across  an  arm  of  the  bay,  is  Corte  Ma- 
dera ;  two  miles  further 

Tamalpais— Here  saddle  horses  can  be 
procured  for  a  ride  up  to  the  summit  of  the 
mountain,  2,604  feet,  from  which  the 
finest  view  can  be  had  of  the  Pacific  Ocean, 
San  Francisco,  and  San  Pablo  Bays,  and 
the  surrounding  country,  that  can  be  ob- 
tained at  any  point.  The  distance  is  about 
eight  miles.  From  Tamalpais  station  it  is 
two  miles  to  the  Junction.  From  Sau- 
cilito the  route  has  been  one  of  beauty.  In 
almost  every  nook  of  the  mountain-side 
are  residences  suiTounded  with  all  that 
money  and  good  taste  can  provide  to  make 
them  beautiful  and  attractive  homes. 

Leaving  the  Junction,  after  1.5  miles 
comes  the  side-track  of  Fairfax,  sur- 
rounded by  rolling  hills,  covered  with  an 
eternal  verdure  of  green.  Curving  to  the 
right,  look !  away  up  there  to  the  left — see 
our  road !  Can  we  get  there  ?  Up,  up  we 
go,  through  a  tunnel,  and  roll  around  the 
head  of  the  little  valley,  and  then  to  the 
left  we  can  look  away  down  and  see  the 
road  up  which  we  passed  only  a  few 
moments  ago.  Keeping  around  on  the 
southern  slope  of  the  hills,  with  an  awful 
chasm  on  the  left,  beyond  are  high  moun. 
tains  upon  the  sides  of  which  can  be  seen 
an  occasional  huge  redwood  tree. 

Curving  around  again  to  the  right,  up 
another  little  valley,  our  road  a^ain  ap^ 
pears  far  up  on  the  opposite  side,  and 
again  the  head  of  the  valley  is  reached ; 
the  curve  to  the  left  is  again  made,  and 
down,  far  below,  is  the  road  bed.  There 
are  two  "  Ca,pe  Horns,"  only  not  as  high 
as  Cape  Horn  on  the  Central  Pacific.  The 
scenery  is  very  beautiful. 

Climbing  up,  see,  on  the  right,  the 
wagon  road  to  Mt.  Tamalpais,  under 
which  is  the  tunnel  through  which  we 
pass ;  altitude,  565  feet ;  length,  1,250  feet. 
Beyond  the  tunnel,  the  grade  descends. 


•^02 


CROFUTT  S    NEW   OVERLAND   TOURIST 


curving  around  on  the  side  of  the  hills, 
down  into  a  little  valley  through  which 
runs  the  San  Geronimo  Creek.  Here  we 
find  the  madrone  tree,  (see  Annex,  No. 
8,  page  164)  and  many  oaks  with  droop- 
ing, moss-covered  boughs. 

Six  and  a  half  miles  from  Fairfax,  we 
come  to  NiCASio,  a  small  station  with  an 
altitude  of  370  feet.  The  mountains,  on 
the  left,  are  covered  with  a  dense  growth  of 
trees,  of  many  varieties,  among  which  are 
redwood,  pine,  Douglas  gpruce,  madrone, 
and  buckeye  shrubs.  Passing Lagunit as,  a 
small  station,  the  road  enters  a  narrow 
canyon,  down  which  we  run,  with  the  red- 
wood towering  far  above;  pass  the  old 
powder  mill  and  extensive  pic-nic  grounds 
on  the  right,  which  are  visited  in  the  sum- 
mer by  thousands  from  San  Francisco — 
on,  past  a  big  dam,  and  we  arrive  at 

Taylorsville — This  is  a  small  station, 
named  for  a  Mr.  Taylor,  who  established 
here  the  -jirat  paper  mill  on  the  Pacific 
Coast,  known  as  the  "Pioneer  Paper  Mill." 
The  canyon  is  narrow,  with  some  tall 
redwoods  along  the  creek,  and  on  the  side 
of  the  mountain  to  the  left.  Opposite,  the 
country  is  rolling,  with  few  trees — some- 
thing of  a  dairy  country. 

TocOLOMA— comes  next,  three  miles 
from  Taylor's.  Here  a  stage  line  runs  to 
the  town  of  Olema,  two  miles  to  the  south, 
over  the  ridge,  and  also  to  Bolinas,  four- 
teen miles  distant.  Passing  on  by  milk 
ranches,  crossing  bridges,  through  deep 
cuts,  over  high  embankments,  curving 
around  the  side  of  the  mountain  on  the 
left,  the  train  comes  out  into  a  little  valley, 
and  4.5  miles  from  the  last  station,  and 
38.5  miles  from  San  Francisco,  stops  at 

Olema  Station — This  is  an  eating 
station,  the  only  one  on  the  road.  Trains 
stop  twenty  minute:>.  Stages  for  Bolinas, 
south  thirteen  miles,  leave  every  day,  except 
week  days. 

Leaving,  the  route  is  more  to  the  north- 
ward, with  Bolinas  Bay  over  the  hills  to  the 
left.  The  timber  to  the  right  has  entirely  dis- 
appeared, and  there  is  but  little  on  the  left, 
with  very  little  cultivated  land.  We  are 
now  approaching  a  section  which  is  almost 
entirely  devoted  to  dairying.  Soon  we 
come  to  Tomales  Bay,  a  portion  of  which 
is  crossed  on  a  long  pile  bridge,  where  are 
extensive  beds  of  planted  oysters,  the 
boundaries  of  which  are  marked  by  poles. 
Ducks  are  very  abundant,  and  white  peli- 
cans can  often  be  seen  as  well  as  wild 
geese. 


This  bay  is  about  twenty  miles  in 
length,  with  an  average  width  of  one  mile. 
Our  train  runs  along  on  the  edge  of  this 
bay,  around  rocky  points,  througl;  spurs 
of  the  bluffs,  and  across  little  irikjts  for 
about  sixteen  miles,  where  the  road  turns 
sharp  to  the  right,  up  an  arm  of  the  bay. 
In  this  distance  we  find  the  following 
stations:  Wharf  Point,  three  miles  from 
Olema;  Millerton,  two  miles  further, 
and  Marshalls,  nine  more ;  then  comes 

Hamlet — Here  the  regular  passenger 
trains  meet.  All  these  side-track  stations 
along  the  bay  are  for  the  accommodation 
of  the  dairymen  living  near,  who  ship 
large  quantities  of  milk  and  butter  to  San 
Francisco  daily. 

Tomales  Point  is  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  bay,  which  is  here  only  about  three 
and  a  half  miles  from  the  ocean. 

Turning  to  the  right,  our  road  follows  up 
a  narrow  little  valley  around  rocky  points, 
with  high  grass-covered  hills  on  each  side — 
makes  one  great  rainbow  curve,  away 
around  the  head  of  the  valley,  and  comes 
to  a  stop  at 

Tomales — This  station  is  55  miles  from 
San  Francisco.  Here  the  Railroad  Com- 
pany have  large  warehouses  for  storing 
grain,  from  which  large  quantities  are 
shipped  annually.  Tomales  consists  of  a 
few  dozen  buildings,  devoted  to  merchan- 
dizing, with  a  surrounding  country  well 
cultivated.  Mt.  St.  Helena  can  be  seen  on 
the  right,  and,  in  a  clear  day,/ar  beyond 
the  snow-capped  Sierras.  Leaving  the 
station,  the  road  passes  through  the  fourth 
tunnel,  crossing  a  small  creek  on  a  high 
trestle  bridge,  and  then  a  small  inlet  from 
the  ocean,  where  we  leave  Marin  county, 
enter  Sonoma,  and  come  to 

Valley  Ford  Station — Here  a  stage 
leaves  dady  for  Petaluma,  eighteen  miles 
cast.  Years  ago  the  section  we  ^  are  now 
entering  was  the  southern  border  of  the 
great  redwood  forests.  Here  the  lumber- 
man began  his  labors,  and  as  years  passed, 
step  by  step  he  penetrated  this  great  lum- 
ber region,  leaving  in  his  track  stumps, 
fire,  smoke,  and  finally  the  clearing,  broad, 
rich  fields  and  well-cultivated  farms,  from 
the  productions  of  which  he  subsists  while 
persistently  following  up  his  receding 
prey — the  redwoods. 

The  waters  from  Bodega  Bay  sit  back  to 
near  the  station,  on  the  left.  Three  miles 
further,  we  come  to  Bodega  Roads,  and 
one  mile  more  to  Freestone,  over  a 
heavy  grade.    Here  we  come  to  another 


AND    PACIFIC    COAST   GUIDE. 


203 


great  horse-shoe  curve,  around  the  head  of 
a  small  valley.  First,  the  road-bed  is  fa/r 
above,  then  far  below,  with  a  deep  gorge  on 
the  left,  in  which  grow  raadrone,  redwood, 
and  oak  trees.  Now  we  come  to  a  trestle 
bridge,  300  feet  long  and  137  feet  high, 
over  a  frightful  gorge;  and  then  to  the 
Summit  Tunnel,  610  feet  long,  beyond 
which  is 

Howard— The  principal  business  at  this 
station  is  burning  coke.  Passing  on,  we 
enter  "  Dutch  Bill  Canyon,"  called  so  in 
early  days  after  Mr.  Howard,  who  there 
wrestled  with  the  big  redwoods  that  it  then 
contained.  Redwoods  now  appear  on  each 
side,  as  also  saw-mills.  Streeten  Mill 
is  passed  on  the  left,  then  another  tunnel — 
there  are  five  tunnels  in  all,  on  the  road, 
aggregating  3,850  feet — then  a  long  wood 
shute,  and 

Tyrone  Mills— Here  are  extensive  saw- 
mills on  the  left,  with  side-tracks  running 
to  them,  with  a  capacity  of  40,000  feet  of 
lumber  a  day. 

Leaving  this  mill,  on  a  down  grade, 
through  towering  redwoods,  300  feet 
high,  we  roll  down  past  another  large 
mill,  on  the  right,  to  the  Russian  River, 
just  after  passing  an  unimportant  side- 
track of  that  name. 

The  river  at  this  place  comes  down 
through  a  perfect  forest  of  towering  red- 
woods, and  is  about  300  feet  wide,  with  an  av- 
erage depth  of  two  feet.  The  train  runs  along 
on  the  southern  bank,  past  a  beautiful  little 
cottage  on  the  right,  away  up  on  a  high 
spur  of  the  mountains,  that  projects  out 
into  the  river,  and  which  has  been  left,  as 
it  were  isolated  by  the  cutting  made  by  the 
Railroad-  Company  in  building  the  road. 
It  is  one  of  several  country  residences  be- 
longing to  the  President  of  the  road.  Be- 
yond this  point  a. short  distance,  is  the 
Moscow  Mills  Station,  opposite  which 
comes  in  from  the  north.  Austin  Creek, 
abounding  in  redwoods.  A  short  distance 
further,  Russian  River  is  crossed  on  a 
bridge  400  feet  long,  and  the  train  stops  at 
the  end  of  the  road  at 

Duncan's  Mills — Here  are  located  ex- 
tensive aaw-mills,  in  the  midst  of  great  for- 
ests of  redwoods.  The  station  is  80  miles 
from  San  Francisco,  and  consists  of  one 
large  hotel,  the  Julian— a  good  station 
building,  some  shops  of  the  Railroad  Com- 
pany, several  stores  and  a  dozen  or  more 
residences,  some  of  which  are  very  good. 
Game  of  various  kinds  is  abundant, 
such  as   deer,  bears,  etc.,  and  some  wild 


Tiogs.  Fish — well,  this  is  the  fisherman's 
paradise.  From  Duncan's  Mills  it  is  six 
miles  to  the  Ocean,  reached  by  boats  on 
Russian  River,  which  is  near  the  station,, 
also  by  a  good  wagon  road.  Stages  leave 
Duncan's  Mills  daily,  except  Mondays,  for 
the  following  places:  Fort  Ross,  16  miles; 
Henry's,  16  miles;  Timber  Cove,  20  miles; 
Salt  Point,  25  miles ;  Fisk's  Mills,  30  miles ; 
Stewart's  Point,  34  miles;  Gualala,  44 
miles;  Fish  Rock,  50  mi'es;  Point  Arena,, 
60  miles;  Manchester,  66  miles;  Cuffey's 
Cove,  80  miles;  Navarra  Ridge,  86  miles; 
and  Mendocino  City,  96  miles ;  average  fare 
ten  cents  per  mile. 

Along  the  line  of  this  road  are  located 
several  large  saw-mills,  which  produce  for 
market,  2W),000  feet  of  redwood  lumber 
daily. 

In  conclusion;  the  ramble  about  Dun- 
can's Mills  will  be  foimd  by  the  tourist,  a 
very  pleasant  one,  in  fact,  the  scenery 
along  the  whole  line  is  very  interesting. 
The  rapid  changes  and  the  great  variety 
are  charming,  instructive,  and  when  once 
made  will  ever  live  in  pleasant  memory. 

Returning  to  San  Francisco,  we  start  on 
Route  5. 
S^onthern  Pacific  Railroad 

General  Offices,  San  Francisco. 

Chas.  Crockbe, President, 

Qbo.  E.  Gray Chief  Engineer. 

A   C.  Bassett, General  Superintendent, 

H.  R.  JtTDAH Gen.  Pas.  and  Ticket  Agent. 

This  company  own  the  road  from 
Goshen,  in  the  San  Joaquin  Valley,  and, 
including  the  Goshen  Division,  to  Los 
Angeles  and  Yuma,  in  Arizona,  but  it  is 
leased  to  and  operated  by  the  "  Central  '* 
Company.  This  leaves  the  Southern,  only 
the  line  from  San  Francisco  to  Soledad, 
142  miles,  and  the  Trespinos  division  of  18 
miles,  Monterey  16,  making  176  miles^ 
over  which  we  proj^ose  journeying. 

Leaving  the  depot,  which  is  situated  op- 
posite the  general  office,  corner  Townsend 
and  Fourth,  the  route  is  south,  through  the 
city  for  over  four  miles,  most  of  the  dis- 
tance built  up  with  business  blocks,  manu- 
factories, large  wool  warehouse--,  shops  and 
private  residences. 

The  company's  machine  shops — exten- 
sive works — are  situated  about  two  miles 
from  the  depot;  another  mile  is  Valencia 
street,  where  is  a  horse-car  line  to  the  more 
central  part  of  the  city.  Then  we  move 
another  mile,  through  some  deep  cuts  and 
high  hills  on  the  right,  and  are  at 


204 


ceofutt's  new  overland  tourist 


Bernal — a  small  station  4.6  miles  from 
■our  starting  point.  Some  gardens  and 
vegetable  fields  now  appear,  and  a  short 
distance  from  the  station  is  the  Industrial 
School,  on  an  elevation  to  the  right. 

San  Miguel — is  two  miles  further, 
:among  the  sand-hills,  where  are  some  well- 
■cultivated  gardens.  To  the  right  is  Lake 
JVIercede  and  the  city  water  works. 

Continuing  along  through  the  hills, 
which  in  places  are  close  on  each  side — 
with  the  San  Bruno  Mountains  in  the  dis- 
tance on  the  right — down  a  little  valley, 
then  through  deep  cuts,  past  Colma,  a 
side-track,  and  Baden  Bay,  all  in  quick  suc- 
cession, we  come  to  the  signal  station  of 
Baden,  or  as  often  called  "Twelve  Mile 
Farm."  At  this  place  Mr.  Chas.  Lux,  of 
Lux  and  Miller,  the  largest  cattle  dealers 
•on  the  Pacific  Coast,  resides ;  and  on  Mr. 
Lux's  "  Twelve  Mile  Farm  "  can  be  found 
at  all  times,  some  of  the  best  cattle  in  the 
State. 

Two  miles  further,  and  we  are  over  the 
hills  and  down  on  ihe  edge  of  San  Fran- 
cisco B^,  which  is  on  the  left,  and  at 

San  Bruno — This  station  consists  of  a 
^ood  hotel,  and  four  targets,  as  it  is  a 
great  resort  for  shooting  at  target.  The 
targets  are  on  the  edge  of  the  bay  to  the 
left;  distances,  200,  500,  800,  and  1,000 
yards  each.  Here  the  "  sports  "  gather  to 
try  their  hand.  The  San  Bruno  Hotel  is 
•on  the  right  of  the  road,  where  all  the 
targets  are  at  shorter  range,  and  the  shots 
always  certain  to  hit  the  red. 
AflLLBRAB  is  the  next  station,  17  miles 
from  San  Francisco.  To  the  right  of  the 
road,  half-a-mile  distant,  is  the  residence  of 
D.  O.  Mills,  President  of  the  Bank  of 
California.  It  will  be  recognized  by  the 
two  tall  towers.  A  little  beyond  the  station 
is  Millbrae  dairy,  with  large  yards  and 
t)uildings.  On  the  left,  in  the  bay,  are 
great  beds  o^  planted  oysters.  Soon  after 
leaving  Millbrae,  we  reach  Burlingame, 
designed  and  laid  out  by  the  late  Mr.  Rals- 
ton in  long  streets  and  avenues,  extending 
for  two  miles  along  the  road,  and  from  the 
base  of  the  mountains,  on  the  right,  to  the 
bay  on  the  left,  about  another  two  miles. 
Beside  these  streets  and  avenues,  are  double 
rows  of  planted  trees,  most  of  which  are  eu- 
calyptus and  Monterey  cypress.  There  are 
some  beautiful  residences  here  and  there 
along  the  base  of  the  mountains  on  the 
Tight. 

'i' wo  miles  from  Millbrae,  we  pass  Oak 


Grove,  a  small  station  named  for  the 
grove  of  oaks  near  by. 

One  peculiarity  of  this  country  is:  no 
matter  how  much  ground  is  shaded  with 
oaks,  it  makes  no  difierence  with  the  crops, 
all  kinds  of  which  seem  to  grow  equally 
well  in  the  shade  and  in  the  sun. 

San  Mateo— (pronounced  Ma-t-o).  Hero 
are  some  of  the  finest  private  residences 
and  grounds  in  the  State.  This  town  con- 
tains a  population  of  about  1,500.  Oaks 
and  orchards  are  everywheue.  Stages 
leave  San  Mateo  daily  on  the  arrival  of  the 
train  from  San  Francisco  for  Half-Moon 
Bay,  14  miles  west;  Purissima,  23  miles; 
Pescadero,  30  miles.  At  the  latter  place 
connections  are  made  tri-weekly  for  Pigeon 
Point,  seven  miles ;  Davenport's  Landing,  38 
miles,  and  Santa  Cruz,  40  miles ;  average 
fare  ten  cents  per  mile. 

Leaving  the  station,  we  pass — on  the 
right — a  beautiful  park,  and  the  Young 
Ladies'  Seminary ;  also  a  race  track.  To 
the  left  the  bay  lies  close,  and  the  laud  is 
of  little  value,  until  reclaimed,  but  on  the 
right  is  beauty,  spread  out  with  a  lavish, 
hand.  Live  oaks  are  scattered  around  in 
all  directions,  with  buckeye  in  the  ravines 
coming  down  from  the  mountains  on  the 
the  right.  Windmills  are  numerous  the 
whole  length  of  the  valley. 

Belmont — which  is  25  miles  from  San 
Francisco,  comes  next.  At  this  station  the 
guests  of  the  late  Mr.  Ralston  were  wont 
to  alight  to  visit  his  residence.  This  place 
is  located  a  half-mile  to  the  west,  up  a 
little  valley,  just  out  of  sight  from  the 
railroad.  it  originally  contained  about 
100  acres,  which,  upon  the  death  of  Mr. 
Ralston,  came  into  possession  of  Senator 
Sharon,  who  presented  40  acres  of  the 
land,  including  an  elegant  cottage,  to  the 
widow,  Mrs.  Ralston.  Leaving  Belmont, 
the  Phelps  estate  is  on  the  right,  and 
double  rows  of  eucalyptus  on  the  left,  for 
two  miles.  The  country  between  the  hills 
and  the  bay  is  flat,  and  under  a  high  state 
of  cultivation. 

Redwood  City — comes  next,  3.5  miles 
from  Belmont.  It  is  the  county  seat  of 
San  Mateo  county,  and  a  thriving  place. 
It  was  named  from  the  great  redwood 
forest  on  the  west,  a  large  quantity  of  which 
finds  its  way  to  market  in  the  shape  of 
lumber,  wood  and  bark,  from  this  station. 
The  city  is  supplied  with  water  from  an 
artesian  well.  The  county  buildings, 
schools,  churches  and  hotels,  are  all  said 
to  be  first-class,  as  well  as  the  weekly  pa- 


AND    PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


205 


per,  the  Times  and  Qwzette.  Stages  leave 
daily  for  Seareville,  seven  miles ;  La  Honda, 
16  miles,  and  Pescadero,  30  miles. 

Passing  Fair  Oaks,  a  small  station  in 
the  midst  of  beautiful  residences,  sur- 
rounded with  parks,  gardens,  orchards  and 
moss-drooping  oaks,  we  come  to 

Menlo  Park — near  which  reside  a  score 
or  more  of  millionaires,  including  Ex- 
Gov.  Stanford,  Milton  S.  Latham,  J.  C. 
Flood,  Albert  Grand,  Faxon  Atherton, 
Maj.  llathbone,  M.  D.  Sweney,  Col.  Eyre, 
and  many  others.  Menlo  Park  Hotel  is 
situated  on  the  right,  and  is  embowered  in 
trees,  vines,  and  flowers.  On  the  left, 
leaving  the  station,  is  "Thurlow  Lodge,"  a 
palatial  residence,  situated  in  the  center  of 
princely  grounds,  with  the  most  costly  sur- 
roundings, consisting  of  deer  park,  trees, 
gardens,  orchards  and  shrubbery.  A  little 
further,  on  the  right,  comes  the  500.acre 
farm  of  Ex-Gov.  Stanford,  President  of  the 
Central  Pacific  railroad.  Here  is  the  home 
of  "Occident,"  and  some  of  the  finest 
blooded  stock  on  the  Pacific  coast. 

Mayfield — a  town  of  1,000  inhabitants, 
34.9  miles  from  San  Francisco,  is  situated 
in  the  widest  part  of  Santa  Clara  Valley, 
embowered  in  "  blue  gum  "  oaks,  and  other 
trees.  It  is  A..9,  miles  from  Mountain 
View — a  small  station,  so  named  from  the 
extended  view  which  it  affords  of  the 
Coast  Range  on  the  west,  the  Contra  Costa, 
on  the  east,  as  well  as  the  whole  surround- 
ing country. 

The  great  oaks  add  an  indescribable  beauty 
to  this  country,  and  grow  in  great  pro- 
fusion,  particularly  on  the  Murphy  Grant, 
through  which  we  are  now  passing.  This 
grant  originally  covered  some  thousands  of 
acres,  in  this,  the  richest  portion  of  the 
Santa  Clara  Valley.  Murphy's  Station — 
f(jr  the  accommodatioii  of  the  grant — is  lo- 
cated near  its  center. 

We  are  now  opposite  the  head  of  San 
Francisco  Bay— on  the  east — and  the  little 
town  of  Alviso,  which  is  noted  for  its 
strawberries  and  fruit,  as  well  as  being  a 
point  from  which  immense  quantities  of 
pDduce  are  shipped  on  the  boats  that  land 
i.t  its  ample  wharf. 

We  pass  on  through  a  section,  where 
every  foot  of  land  is  in  a  high  state  of  cul- 
tivation, for  two  miles,  and  come  to 
Lawrence — a  small  place  3  5  miles  from 
the  beautiful 

Santa  Clara — This  is  a  beautiful  and 
quiet  old  town  of  about  4,000  inhabitants, 
originally  founded  by  the  Jesuits,  i'l  1774. 


It  is  situated  near  the  center  of  Santa  Clara 
Valley,  one  of  the  loveliest  in  the  world, 
possessing  a  soil  of  surpassing  richness. 
It  is  celebrated  for  the  salubrity  of  its  cli- 
mate, and  the  excellence  and  variety  c  f  its 
fruits ;  is  thickly  settled,  and  as  a  wheat- 
growing  valley  it  has  no  superior.  In 
point  of  improvements,  good  farm-houses, 
orchards,  vineyards,  etc.,  it  has  few,  if  any, 
equals. 

Churches  and  schools  are  numerous; 
Santa  Clara  and  San  Jose — three  miles 
apart — are  both  noted  for  their  educational 
institutions,  where  some  of  the  finest  in 
the  State  are  located.  The  convent  of 
Notre  Dame,  the  San  Jose  Institute,  the 
State  Normal  School,  and  the  new  building 
of  the  University  of  the  Pacific,  Methodist^ 
Female  Seminary,  and  the  Catholic  CoJ' 
legiate  Institute,  stand  as  monuments  \.*> 
attest  a  people's  integrity  and  worth. 

There  are  two  weekly  papers  published 
at  Santa  Clara  —  the  Index  and  New». 
Stages  leave  daily  for  Los  Gatos,  seven 
miles ;  Lexington,  ten  miles ;  and  the  Con- 
gress Springs,  thirteen  miles;  fare,  ten 
cents  per  mile.  These  springs  are  resorted 
to  by  those  sufiering  with  pulmonary 
complaints. 

South  Pacific  Coast  R.  R.,  narrow 
gauge,  now  completed  from  Alameda, 
opposite  SanFrancisco,to  SantaCruz, 
80  miles,  passes  through  Alvarado,  a 
manufacturing  town  on  the  east  side  of 
the  bay,  about  10  miles  west  of  Niles, 
to  Santa  Clara,  thence  southwest, 
through  a  long  tunnel,  under  the  Coast 
Range  of  mountains,  37  miles  to 

Santa  Cruz,  situated  on  an  arm  of 
Monterey  Bay,  and  is  often  called  the 
"Newport"  of  California,  being  a  noted  sum- 
mer resort  for  sea  bathers,  who  find  good 
accommodations  in  the  shape  of  hotels, 
bathing  houses,  etc.  It  is  the  county  seat 
of  Santa  Cruz  county,  population,  3,000; 
connected  by  rail  with  the  Southern  Pa- 
cific at  Pajaro  21  miles  and,  with  Fulton 
eight  miles;  and  bv  stage,  with  all  adjoin- 
ing towns  up  and  down  the  coast,  and  by 
steamer  to  San  Francisco.  • 

Returning  to  Santa  Clara,  we  can,  if 
we  choose,  step  into  the  horse-cars,  or  take 
a  carriage  for  San  Jose,  and  ride  over  the 
most  beautiful  avenues  iirtheState,itif 
bordered  on  each  side  with  two  rows  of 
poplar  and  willow  trees,  planted  by  the 
early  Jesuit  missionaries  nearly  100  years 
ago. 

Behind  these  trees  are  elegant  cottages, 


206 


CROFUTT'S   NEW   OVEBLAND   TOURIST 


beautiful  orchards,  nurseries,  and  gardens, 
containing  almost  every  variety  of  vege- 
tables, fruits,  and  flowers. 

By  steam  cars  it  is  2.6  miles  from  Santa 
Clara  to 

San  Jose  City — (Pronounced  San  0-za) ; 
population,  18,000.  This  is  the  county 
seat  of  Santa  Clara  county,  and  is  the  larg- 
est town  in  Santa  Clara  Valley,  in  popu- 
lation being  the  fourth  in  the  State.  It 
was  first  settled  by  the  Spanish  mission- 
aries, in  1777.  The  city  is  lighted  with 
gas;  the  sti'eets  are  macadamized,  and 
ornamented  with  rows  of  shade  trees  on 
each  side.  Artesian  wells,  and  the  "  Cali- 
fornia Wind  Mill,"  together  with  a  small 
mountain  stream,  abundantly  supply  the 
city  with  good  water.  The  AlaTneda^  or 
grove,  was  planted  in  1799.  It  is  by  far 
the  prettiest  grove  of  planted  timber  in  the 
State,  and  by  many  people  it  is  claimed 
that  San  Jose  is  the  prettiest  city  in  the 
State.  It  is  certainly  one  of  the  best  im- 
proved, and  there  are  none  more  beautiful. 
Its  orchards,  vineyards  and  shade  trees ; 
its  fine  private  and  public  buildings,  and 
the  delightful  climate  of  the  valley,  render 
it  a  favorite  place  of  summer  resort. 

San  Jose  has  numerous  church  edifices — 
ample  public  and  private  schools,  hotels, 
and  newspapers.  The  Mercury  and  In- 
dependent^ both  daily  and  weekly;  the 
Patriot^  daily;  and  Argus,  weekly,  are 
published  here.  The  Auzerais,  St.  James, 
Exchange  and  Lick,  are  the  principal 
hotels.  The  city  is  connected  by  railroad 
with  Solidad,  72  miles,  south,  and  San 
Francisco  by  two  lines — the  one  we  came 
on,  through  the  thickly  settled  and  well- 
cultivated  Santa  Clara  and  San  Mateo 
countries ;  distance,  50  miles,  and  by  Cen- 
tral Pacific  via  Niles  and  Oakland. 

The  new  road  to  Mt.  Hamilton  —  20 
miles  distant — leaves  San  Jose,  and  can  be 
seen  winding  up  the  side  of  the  mountain, 
on  the  east  It  was  for  the  erection  of  a 
college  on  the  summit  of  Mt.  Hamilton — 
altitude,  4,400  feet — that  the  millionaire, 
James  Lick,  left  $150,000  in  his  will. 
The  building  has  been  completed,  and 
reflects  much  credit  on  the  doner. 

Stages  leave  San  Jose  daily  for  the  noted 

New  Almaden  Quicksilver  Mines — 
These  mines  are  very  extensive,  and  should 
be  visited  by  the  curious.  They  were  dis- 
covered by  an  officer  in  the  Mexican  ser- 
vice during  the  year  1845,  who,  seeing  the 
Indians  with  their  faces  pointed  with  ver- 
milion, bribed  one  of  them,  who  told  him 


where  it  was  to  be  found.  The  following- 
year,  several  English  and  Mexicans  formed 
a  company  for  working  the  mines,  large 
sums  of  monev  were  expended,  and  many 
difliculties  had  to  be  overcome ;  but  finally,, 
by  the  introduction  of  important  improve- 
ments, the  mines  have  proved  to  be  very 
valuable.  The  different  mines  furnish 
employment  for,  and  support  trom  1,000  to 
1,500  persons.  Nearly  all  the  miners  are 
Mexicans. 

It  is  supposed  that  these  mines  were 
known  and  worked  by  the  native  Indians 
of  California,  long  before  the  country  was 
known  by  white  men.  They  worked  them 
to  procure  the  vermilion  paint  which  the 
ore  contained,  for  the  purpose  of  painting 
and  adorning  their  villainous  persons,  ana 
to  "swop"  with  the  neighboring  tribes. 
Near  the  mines  are  the  springs,  where  is 
put  up  the  New  Almaden  Vichy  Water,  s^o 
noted  for  its  medicinal  qualities.  The 
Guadalupe  Quicksilver  mines  are  ten  miles 
distant. 

Both  San  Jose  and  Santa  Clara  are  em- 
bowered in  trees,  among  which  are  the 
oak,  eucalyptus,  poplar,  spruce  cedar, 
Monterey  and  Italian  cypress,  orange, 
pepper,  sycamore,  and  many  others. 

Leaving  San  Jose,  the  State  Normal 
School  building  is  on  the  left  in  the  center 
of  a  block,  surrounded  by  beautilul 
grounds.  Several  miles  further  on  is  the 
Hebrew  Cemetery.  Here  the  road  to  31 1. 
Hamilton  can  be  plainly  seen;  it  is  22 
miles  long  and  30  feet  wide,  with  a  uni- 
form grade  of  five  feet  to  the  hundred. 

Away  to  the  right,  on  the  side  of  the 
mountain,  marked  by  a  red  appearance,  is 
a  quicksilver  mine,  but  the  water  prevents 
work.  Still  further  and  below,  is  the  New 
Almaden  mine,  marked  by  columns  of 
steam  that  are  always  ascending. 

Coyote  Creek  is  now  on  our  left,  in  a 
broaa,  low  bottom.  The  small  stations  of 
Eden  Vale,  Coyote  and  Perrys,  are 
soon  passed,  and  18.8  mi>es  from  San  Jose, 
we  are  at 

Madronb— The  country  passed  over  is 
well  settled,  and  many  fine  residences  are 
scattered  along  the  valley,  which  is  about 
one  mile  in  width,  with  low  rolling  hills 
on  the  west. 

Leaving  Madrone,  on  the  right  a  huge 
sharp  cone  rises  up  out  of  the  valley  1,000 
feet  in  height.  We  call  it  Johnson's 
Peak,  named  for  the  enterprising  newsman 
of  this  road. 

Teknants — is    four  miles  further,  be- 


AND    PACIFIC    COAST   GUIDE. 


207 


jond  which  is  the  most  magnificent  moss 
view  that  one  could  conceive.  Sycamore 
and  moss-drooping  oaks  are  very  plentiful, 
reminding  one  of  the  appearance  of  a 
New  England  apple  orchard  after  a  storm 
of  snow  and  rain,  where  all  the  limbs  and 
boughs  are  borne  down  with  icicles  and 
snow. 

GiLROY — is  seven  and  a  half  miles  from 
Tennant  and  80.3  miles  from  San  Francisco ; 
a  regular  eating  station,  where  trains  stop 
twenty  minutes  for  meals,  which  are  very 
good;  price,  50  cents.  Gilroy  contains  a 
population  of  about  2,000,  most  of  whom 
are  engaged  in  agricultural  and  pastoral 
pursuits.  Tobacco  is  raised  in  large  quan- 
tities, and  dairying  is  made  a  specialty  by 
many  of  the  people.  The  principal  hotels 
are  the  Southern  Pacific  and  the  Williams. 

Stages  leave  Gilroy  for  San  Fillipe,  10 
miles;  Los  Banos,  48  miles;  and  Fire- 
baughs,  80  miles  east;  fare  ten  cents  per 
mile.  Stages  run  dail^  to  the  Gilroy  Hot 
Springs,  a  very  attractive  resort,  15  miles 
■east.    From  Gilroy  it  is  2.2  miles  to 

Carnadero — a  small  station  where  pas- 
senger trains  meet,  and  from  which  a  track 
branches  to  the  left  and  continues  up  the 
Santa  Clara  Valley,  11.8  miles  to 

HoLLESTER — a  thrifty  town  of  2,000  in- 
habitants, most  of  whom  are  agriculturists. 
From  Hollester  it  is  6.2  miles  to  Trespinos 
— the  end  of  the 'track. 

From  this  point  large  quantities  of 
freight  are  shipped  for  the  New  Idria 
Quicksilver,  Picacho  and  other  mines  in 
the  country,  to  the  south  and  east.  Stages 
run  triweekly  to  San  Bruno,  25  miles; 
New  idria,  65  miles;  Picacho,  75  miles; 
Tare  about  ten  cents  per  mile. 

The  original  route  of  the  Southern 
Pacific  railroad  was  from  this  point,  via 
San  Beuito  Pass  to  Goshen,  in  the  San 
Joaquin  Valley.  From  Goshen  the  road  is 
built  a  distance  of  40  miles  this  way,  to 
Huron.  Whether  the  link  between  the  two 
divisions  will  be  completed  and  when^  we 
will  netier  tell,  till  we  know.  The  distance 
across  to  Huron  is,  to  San  Benito  Pass,  60 
miles ;  to  Huron,  100  miles. 

Returning  to  Carnadero,  we  soon  come 
to  the  great  Bloorafield  Ranche,  which 
takes  in  many  thousand  acres,  crossing 
the  valley  and  over  the  mountains,  on  each 
side.  It  is  the  home  of  Mr.  Miller,  of  Lux 
&  Miller,  the  great  cattle  men.  At  Baden, 
twelve  miles  from  San  Francisco,  wc  pass 
Mr.  Lux's  place,  the  "  Twelve  Mile  Farm." 
On  this  ranche  are  kept  and  fattened  great 


numbers  of  cattle,  for  the  market  of  San 
Francisco. 

Continuing  up  the  valley,  which  is  here 
narrowed  to  one  mile  in  width,  with  low- 
grass-covered  hills  on  each  side,  we  come  to 
the  residence  of  Senator  Sargent,  on 
the  right,  and  a  short  distance  further, 

Sargent  Station — in  the  midst  of  a 
dairy  country.  Stages  leave  here  for  San 
Juan,  south,  six  miles  distant,  up  a  little 
valley  to  the  left,  distinctly  seen  a  few  miles 
further  on  our  w^ay. 

Soon  after  leaving  the  station,  we  turn 
more  to  the  westward,  and  the  little  valley 
is  completely  crowded  out  by  the  bluffs, 
and  we  run  along  on  the  bank  of  Pajaro 
River,  up  a  narrow  canyon,  and  cross  the 
line  between  Santa  Clara  and  Santa  Cruz 
county,  at  the  point  where  Pescadero 
Creek  comes  in  on  the  right.  Continuing 
up,  between  high  bluff's,  we  cross  a  bridge 
over  the  Pathro  River  and  are  in  San 
Benito  county,  then  dive  through  a  tunnel 
950  feet  long,  and  come  out  into  the  beauti- 
ful Pajaro  Valley,  which  is  nine  miles  long 
and  four  wide,  a  portion  of  the  Aroma 
Grant,  once  a  very  extensive  one.  The 
Santa  Cruz  Mountains  are  high,  on  the 
right,  and  covered  with  a  dense  growth  of 
redwoods.  Passing  Vega,  a  signal  station, 
we  come  to 

Pajaro— (pronounced  Pah-a-ro)  thirteen 
miles  from  Sargent's,  and  99.4  from  San 
Francisco. 

Watsonville — is  one  mile  to  the  right 
from  this  station,  and  contains  a  popula- 
tion of  4,000,  and  is  a  thrifty  town,  situated 
three  miles  from  Watson's  landing,  on 
Monterey  Bay,  where  steamers  and  other 
vessels  land  regularly.  It  contains  two 
weekly  papers,  the  Pajaronian  and  the 
Transcript.  The  Lewis  House  is  the  prin- 
cipal hotel. 

From  Pajaro,  the  Santa  Cruz,  narrow- 
gauge  railroad  connects  with  the  Southern 
Pacific.  This  road  is  21.15  miles  long  and 
runs  through  Watsonville,  Aptos,  and 
Soquel,  to  Santa  Cruz.  (See  map,  page  120.) 
The  lumber  business  is,  next  to  the  agri- 
cultural, the  most  important  interest  in 
this  section  of  the  country.  From  Pajaro, 
our  course  will  be  east  of  south,  to  the  end 
of  the  road. 

Rolling  down  this  beautiful  valley,  we 
come  to  Elkhorn  Slough,  over  which  our 
road  is  built  on  piles  for  a  long  distance. 
To  the  right,  down  this  slough,  is  Moss 
Landing,  nine  miles  distant,  between  which 
and  a  pier,  close  on  our  right,  a  small 


208 


crofutt's  new  overland  tourist 


steamboat  plies  regularly,  for  the 
transportation  of  freight  and  passen- 
gers for  the  regular  coast  steamboats 
that  stop  at  this  point. 

We  are  now  running  along,  over  and 
beside  a  salt  marsh,  inhabited  by 
cranes,pelicans,ducks  and  mud-hens, 
with  peat  bogs  and  stagnant  pools  for 
immediate  surroundings,  while  to  the 
left,  a  half-mile  away,  is  high  rolling 

Erairie,  covered  with  cattle  and  sheep, 
eyond,  the  long  range  of  the  Gabilan 
Mountains,  while  to  the  far  right,  a 
glimpse  can  be  had  of  the  Ocean. 

From  Pajaro,  10.3  miles,  brings  us  to 

Castro viLLE— one-half-mile  to  the 
west  of  the  railroad ;  population  about 
800.  The  town  is  situated  at  the  north- 
ern end  of  Salinas  Valley,in  Monterey 
county,  one  of  the  most  productive  in 
the  State.  It  is  recorded  in  the  Agri- 
cultural Bureau  in  Washington,  that 
the  largest  yield  of  wheat  ever  known 
was  grown  in  this  valley,  in  1852,  being 
102  bushels  to  the  acre.  That  year 
whole  fields  averaged  100  bushels  to 
the  acre ;  an  ordinary  crop  is  from  40 
to  50  bushels.  In  1873  Monterey  coun- 
ty produced  800,000  bushels  of  wheat, 
400,000  bushels  of  barley,  70,000  bush- 
els of  oats,  and  other  productions  in 
proportion.  Sheep  and  cattle  in  large 
numbers  are  raised.  The  wool-clip  for 
1866  amounted  to  1,500,000  lbs ;  butter, 
360,000  lbs. ;  cheese  120,000  lbs. ;  aver- 
age value  of  land,  $8  per  acre.  The 
lands  in  this  valley  are  mostly  *  safe 
lands,' will  produce  without  irrigation. 

In  the  spring  of  1880,  a  branch  road 
was  completed  from  Gastroville  to 
Monterey,  16  miles.  It  is  of  standard 
gauge,  and  takes  the  place  of  the  old 
narrow  gauge  from  Salinas. 

Monterey.— This  place  is  situated 
on  the  southern  extreme  of  the  bay  of 
Monterey,  the  most  capacious  on  the 
Pacific  coast,  136  miles  from  San  Fran- 
cisco by  rail,  and  about  100  by  steamer. 
Immediately  to  the  westward  of  the 
city  is  Point  Pinos,  jutting  out  to  the 
northward  four  miles,  to  meet  Point 
Santa  Cruz,  another  long  promontory 
extending  from  the  north,  between 
which  and  the  main  land— land-locked 
as  it  were— is  the  broad  bay  of  Monte- 
rey. This  bay  was  first  discovered  by 
Cabarillo  in  1542.  In  1770  the  site  was 
occupied  by  the  Jesuits,  under  the 
leadership  of  Padre  Junipero,  who. 


June  3,  of  that  year,held  the  first  mass. 
The  bell  which  called  the  faithful  to- 
gether was  hung  from  a  tree,  the  loca- 
tion of  which  is  now  marked  by  a  cross, 
erected  on  the  centennial  day  of  its 
celebration,  bearing  the  legend,  "June 
3d,  1770."  On  the  hill,  near  this  cross, 
are  the  ruins  of  an  old  fort,  near  a 
Mexican  fort  of  a  later  date;  and  high- 
er up  the  hill  is  where  the  American 
fort  of  1846  was  built,  when  the  Amer- 
icans seized  the  country. 

Monterey  is  a  quiet,  sleepy  old  town, 
where  every  person  seemed  satisfied 
with  himself,  apparently  believing  the 
world  is  completed ;  living  on  in  the 
dreamy  self-satisfied  consciousness 
that  the  spirit  of  progress  is  at  an  end 
—a  present  tangible  heaven  of  eternal 
sunshine.  It  is  a  glorious  place  to 
spend  a  few  weeks;  having  done  so, 
the  pleasurable  memories  of  the  so- 
journ will  ever  remain  a  ray  of  soft 
sunshine,  while  plodding  through  the 
cares,  trials  and  perplexities  of  active 
business  life.  Monterey— as  one  might 
well  suppose-  is  afavorite  resort  in  the 
summer  for  the  better  classes  of  cit- 
izens of  the  State,  as  well  as  for  tour- 
ists, who  find  ample  accommodations. 

Eeturning  to  Castroville,  to  the  east, 
beside  the  mountains,  can  be  seen,  at 
certain  points  after  leaving  Castro- 
ville, the  little  villages  of  Natividad 
Sodaville,  and  the  Alisal  race-track. 

Salinas— is  7.9  miles  south  of  Cas- 
troville, situated  to  the  right  of  the 
road,  and  on  the  east  bank  of  Salinas 
River,  with  a  thriving  population  of 
3,000,  and  many  fine  stores,  hotels  and 
private  residences.  The  Abbot  is  the 
principal  hotel,  and  the  Index  and 
Democrat  are  two  weekly  papers. 

Stages  leave  daily  for  New  Republic, 
east,  three  miles;  Natividad,  north- 
east,six  miles ;  fare, ten  cents  per  mile. 

Starting  once  more  for  the  south,  we 
find  this  to  be  the  widest  portion  of 
Salinas  Valley, which  is  about  90  miles 
in  length,  with  an  average  width  of 
eight  miles.  The  valley  is  situated  be- 
tween the  Gabilan  mountains,  to  the 
eastward,  and  Santa  Lucian  Range  on 
the  west,  about  20  miles  from  the  Pa- 
cific Ocean,  from  the  winds  of  which  it 
is  protected  by  the  mountain  named. 

Chualar— is  10.9  miles  from  Salinas, 
and  consists  of  several  stores,  hotels, 
saloons   and  a  dozen  or  more  rest- 


PACIFIC    COAST   GUIDE. 


20S 


dences.  Here  are  cattle  pens  and 
shutes,  indicating  that  we  are  in  a 
country  where  cattle  are  shipped  to 
market ;  the  same  might  be  said  of 
Gonzales  a  station  six  miles  further, 
only  there  are  a  few  more  people, 
"scratching"  the  soil,  which  is  great- 
ly abused  by  this  shiftless  method  of 
farming.  Proceeding  on  8.4  miles 
further, we  reacTi  the  end  of  the  track  at 
SoLEDAD— This  is  a  small  place  of 
100  or  more  inhabitants,  with  a  few 
stores,  hotels,  saloons,  stage-stables, 
freight  warehouses,  and  some  private 
residences.  It  is  a  point  from  which 
a  large  amount  of  freight  is  shipped 
to  the  southward,  and  from  which  a 
regular  daily  line  of  stages  run  to 
the  following  places:  Lowe's  28 
miles ;  Solon,  40  miles ;  Paso  Eobles, 
Hot  Sgrings,  80  miles;  San  Louis 
Obispo,  10  miles ;  Arroyo  Grande,  125 
miles;  Gaudalupe,  140  miles;  Santa 
Barbara,  220  miles ;  San  Buena  Ven- 

TOWARDS 

Ho !  for  Yo-Semite,  the  "Big  Trees," 
over  the  "Loup,"  across  the  Mojave 
Desert,  down  through  Solidad  and 
to  Los  Angeles;  then,  over  the  San 
Barnardino,  down  under  the  sea,  over 
the  great  Colorado  desert,  into  Ari- 
zona,  through  New  Mexico  and  on  to 


tura,  250  miles,  and  Newhall,  30O 
miles;  average  fare,  eight  cents  per 
mile. 

To  the  westward  of  Solidad,  severt 
miles,  away  up  a  cosy  nook  of  th& 
Coast  Kange,  is  situated  the  Paraiso- 
Springs,  which  it  is  claimed,  possess 
medicinal  qualities.  We  could  hear 
of  no  analysis  of  these  waters,  which 
boil  up  in  close  proximity  to  each 
other.  Some  are  very  hot— others 
very  cold,  but  soda,  iron  and  white 
sulphur  are  the  principal  ingredients. 

A  hotel  will  be  found  at  the  Springs^ 
where  bathing  in  the  waters,  hunting^ 
fishing  and  inhaling  the  pure  moun- 
tain air  can  be  enjoyed. 

In  conclusion,  this  is  one  of  those 
trips  where  a  great  diversity  of  scen- 
ery, numerous  objects  of  interest  and 
the  wealth  and  beauties,  and  the  var- 
ied productions  of  the  State  can  be 
seen  and  contemplated. 

Eeturning  to  San  Francisco  we  start 

SUNRISE. 

the  "FatherLand" — around  the  circle. 
Leaving  San  Francisco,  the  route 
is  via  Oakland,  Martinez,  and  Tracy, 
to  Lathrop,  over  the  track  of  the 
Overland  line,  as  described,  com- 
mencing on  page  178.  Just  before 
reaching  Lathrop  our 


KTo.  31  Annex.  Xevada  Falls.— In  order 
to  form  a  proper  idea  of  the  superb  picture,  No. 
13,  of  the  large  series,  it  will  be  necessary  to 
premise  that  the  Yo-Semite  Valley  is  an  immense 
gorge,  in  the  western  slope  of  the  Sierra  Nevada 
Mountains,  about  seven  miles  in  length,  from 
east  to  west,  and  from  one-eight  of  a  mile  to  two 
miles  in  width,  from  north  to  south.  The  walls 
surrounding  this  mighty  chasm  are  nearly  per- 
pendicular, and  from  2,000  to  6,000  feet  high. 
The  va'  ious  streams  that  find  their  way  into  the 
valley  flow  over  this  tremendous  wall  on  entering. 
At  the  eastern  end  of  the  valley  proper,  it  divides 
into  two  canyons,  projecting  still  eastward,  but 
diverging  as  they  mount  the  Sierras.  It  is  through 
the  south  of  one  of  these  canons,  that  the  main 
branch  of  the  Mercede  River  flows,  and  on  enter- 
ing the  valley,  it  makes  two  leaps.  The  lower 
one,  or  Vernal  Fall,  of  250  feet  in  height,  100 
feet  wide,  and  from  three  to  four  feet  deep,  where 
it  leaps  the  square-edged  barrier.  Continuing  up 
the  canyon  for  a  mile,  above  the  Vernall  Fall, 
amidst  the  wildest  scenery  imaginable,  and  we 
reach  the  Great  Nevada  Fall,  the  subject  of  our 
picture.  The  canyon  narrows,  in  a  wedge- like 
form,  to  quite  a  point,  and  just  at  the  right  of 
this  vortex  is  the  fall.  It  is  900  feet  high,  75 
feet  wide  at  the  brink,  and  130  feet  below.  Re- 
garded as  to  its  height,  volume,  purity  of  water, 
and  general  surroundings,  ib  is  one  of  the  grand- 
est objects  in  the  world.  The  spectator  facing  the 
east  will  observe  on  his  left  the  "Cap  of  Liberty" 
lifting  its  rounded  summit  of  smooth  and  weath- 


er-polished granite,  2,000  above  the  Fall,  5,000 
feet  above  the  valley  below,  or  9,000  feet  above 
the  sea.  To  paint  in  words,  in  the  space  allowed 
us,  the  beauties  of  the  Fall,  the  bolder  scenery, 
the  foliage,  mosses  and  ferns,  always  moist 
from  the  spray,  and  brilliant  green  in  summer, 
the  roar  ond  rush  of  the  fast-flowing  river,  the 
majestic  grandeur  of  the  rocky  frame-work, 
which  towers  above  and  around  it,  is  simply  an 
impossibility;  we  shall  not  try,  but  refer  the 
reader's  imagination  and  judgment  with  these 
statistics  to  the  beautiftil  picture,  which  we  have 
engraved  from  a  faithful  photograph. 

Wo.  40  Annex.  Mirror  L<ake.  Yo- 
Semite  Valley— In  the  large  illustration,  No. 
12,  is  presented  one  of  the  most  wonderful,  as 
well  as  charmingly  picturesque  scenes  to  be  wit- 
nessed in  this  most  romantic  valley.  As  will  be 
seen,  it  represents  one  of  the  most  bold  and. 
striking  views  of  a  charming  little  sheet  of" 
crystal  water  of  almost  a  couple  of  acres  in  exJ 
tent,  in  which  numerous  schools  of  speckled 
trout  may  be  seen  gaily  disporting  themselves. 

The  waters  are  as  still  as  death,  as  though  awed 
by  the  wondrious  grandeur  of  its  surroundings.. 
Close  to  the  southeast  stands  the  majestic  "South 
Dome,"  4,590  feet  in  altitude  above  the  lake.  On 
the  north  and  west  lie  immense  rocks  that  have 
become  detached  from  the  top  of  the  mountain, 
3,000  feet  above ;  among  these  grow  a  large  var- 
iety of  trees  and  shrubs,  many  of  which  stand 
on  and  overhang  the  margin  of  the  lake,  and  are 
reflected  on  its  bosom,  as  in  the  picture. 


210 


PACIFIC   COAST   GUIDE. 


5 


train  leaves  the  track  of  the  Overland  and 
turns  to  the  right,  leaving  the  station  build- 
ing between  ours  and  the  Overland  track. 
At  Lathrop  our  train  stops  '<0  minutes 
for  supper,  and  then  turns  to  the  right,  up 
the  Great  San  Joaquin  Valley  The 
general  direction  of  our  road,  for  the  next 
S50  miles,  is  to  the  southeast. 

San  Joaquin  (pronounced  San  Waw- 
Keen).— This  valley  embraces  portions  of 
nine  counties,  and  is  larger  than  many 
kingdoms  of  the  old  world,  2iiidi  far  richer, 
extending  to  Visalia,  county  seat  of  Tulare 
county.  The  amount  of  grain  and  stock 
raisea  in  this  valley,  and  the  hundreds  of 
emaller  ones  tributary  to  it,  is  almost  in- 
credible, for  a  country  so  recently  settled. 
The  valley  is  about  200  miles  in  length, 
and  averages  about  30  miles  in  width; 
comprising  near  6,000,000  acres  of  the 
richest  agricultural  lands  in  the  State, 
besides  near  a  million  acres  of  tuiles  and 
salt  marsh  lands,  which,  when  reclaimed, 
prove  to  be  the  most  fertile  lands  in  the 
world. 

Slorano — is  5.5  miles  from  Lathrop, 
important  only,  as  many  other  stations  on 
this  road  are,  as  a  shipping  point  for 
grain,  with  side-track  and  great  storage 
"warehouses. 

Bipon — comes  next,  4.7  miles  further, 
near  which  the  Stanislaus  River  isciossed, 
and  three  miles  more  comes 

t^alida — another  small  station,  with 
accommodations  for  shipping  and  storing 
grain     From  Salida  it  is  6.8  miles  to 

Modesto — the  county  seat  of  Stanis- 
laus county.  It  was  laid  out  in  1870,  and 
now  contains  a  population  of  over  1,500, 
while  the  county  contains  about  11,000 
Agriculture  is  the  chief  occupation  of  the 
people 

Leaving  Modesto,  we  cross  the  Tou- 
lumna  River,  and  in  4.6  miles  reach  Geres, 
a  small,  unimportant  side-track,  8.5  miles 
from  TuRLOCKS,  another  small  station, 
10 1  miles  from  Cresset,  reached  just  after 
crossing  the  Mercede  River.  Continuing 
on  6  7  miles,  Atwater  is  reached.  At 
this  station,  as  well  as  those  we  have  passed 
are  large  buildings  for  storing  grain, 
as  ^rain-raising — wheat — is  the  only  occu- 
pation of  the  settlers.  From  Atwater  it  is 
7.5  miles  to  one  of  the  most  important 
places  so  far  on  the  road, 

Merced  — the  county  seat  of  Merced 
county ;  population  about  3,000 ;  has  many 
fine  buildings,  including  a  $75,000  court 
liouse  and  a  large  firstclass  hotel,  the  El 


Capitan,  Col.  Bross,  proprietor.  There  are 
two  weekly  papers  published  in  Mercede, 
the  Argus  and  the  Express. 

From  Merced  it  is  ten  miles  east,  to  the 
foot-hills  and  thirty  to  the  western  edge  of 
the  valley,  at  the  base  of  the  Contra  Costa 
Range. 

The  county  of  Merced  is  the  richest  in 
the  valley;  it  had  360,700  acres  of  land 
under  cultivation  in  1876,  which  yielded  a 
little  over  4,500,000  bushels  of  wheat,  be- 
sides large  quantities  of  barley,  rye,  corn. 


peas,  beans,  potatoes,  hay,  tobacco,  cotton 
and    many    other    kinds    of  crops 


The 


county  contains  a  population  of  65,000, 
most  of  whom  are  tilling  the  soil  In  this 
county  was  raised  the  finest  cotton  in  the 
State.  The  value  of  these  lands  ranges 
from  $2.50  to  $10  per  acre. 

The  game  is  plentiful  in  the  river  bot- 
toms and  along  the  foot-hills.  Irrigating 
canals  convey  water  over  a  great  portion  of 
the  land.  Some  of  these  canals  are  quite 
extensive ;  one,  the  San  Joaquin  &  Kings 
River  Canal  is  100  miles  long,  68  feet  wide 
and  six  feet  deep. 

For  several  y*  ars  the  greater  portion  of 
the  travel  for  Yo-Semite  Valley  and  the  big 
tree  groves  took  stages  at  Merced  passing 
over  tlie  route,  via  Coulterville  or  Mari- 
posa, but  a  new  route  (see  map,  page  120) 
has  been  laid  out  from  Madera,  33  miles 
further  south,  which,  it  is  claimed,  makes 
the  distance  by  stage  much  shorter,  and 
over  a  better  road  However,  we  shall 
give  both  routes  in  Annex  No  53,  and 
tourists  can  decide  which  they  will  take. 
Should  they  go  in  on  one  and  out  on  the 
other  route,  little  of  the  scenery  will  be 
overlooked.    (See  page  184.) 

Mariposa — county  seat  of  Mariposa 
county,  is  45  miles  east,  reached  by  stage 
from  Merced.  This  town  contains  about 
1,000  inhabitants  Once  it  was  noted  for 
its  rich  placer  mines,  but  now  quartz 
mining  is  the  principal  occupation  of  the 
people.  In  Bear  Valley  are  the  mills  and 
mines  (or  a  portion  of  them)  belonging  to 
the  "  Las  Mariposa  Grant,"  or  the  Fremont 
estate,  as  it  is  usually  called.  'The  Benton 
mills  are  on  the  Mercede  River,  about  two 
miles  from  the  town,  reached  by  a  good 
dug  road,  down  a  very  steep  mountain  In 
Mount  Opliir  and  Princeton,  mining  towns 
near  by,  are  large  quartz  mills,  belonging 
to  the  estate  and  extensive  mint  s. 

Leaving  Merced,    it  is  9.9  miles  to 

Athlone— is  a  small  station  near 
the  crossing  of  Mariposa  River,  beyond 


SUMMIT  SIERRA  NEVADAS,  DONNER  LAKE, 


W  SHEDS  AND  TUNNELS.  (See  Annex  No.  42., 


(14.) 


•     »••'•-, 


\- 


ceofutt's  new  overland  tourist 


211 


'  wMch  the  Conchilla  River  is  crossed,  and 
MiNTURN  is  reached  6.4  miles  Irom  Plains- 
burg,  in  the  extreme  western  edge  of  Fresno 
county.  For  a  long  distance  the  foot-hiils  of 
the  Sierras  on  the  left  have  appeared  to  be 
close  and  very  rugged.  The  peaks  of  Mt. 
Lyell  and  Ritter  loom  up  on  the  left,  full 
80  miles  away,  and  a  little  further  south- 
ward Mts.  Goddard,  King,  Gardner, 
Brewer,  Silliman,  Tyndall  and  others  can 
be  distinctly  seen  with  their  summits 
covered  with  snow. 

Berenda— is  reached  9.5  miles  from 
Mintuvu  soon  after  which  we  cross  the 
Fresno  River,  and  many  broad,  sandy,  dry 
creeks,  and,  7.5  miles  more,  come  to 

Madera— This  is  a  busy  town  of 
about  300  population.  Here  we  find  a 
large  "  V  "  flume,  53  miles  long,  for  float- 
.  ing  lumber  down  from  the  saw-mills  in  the 
mountains  at  the  end  of  the  flume.  It  was 
completed  in  1876,  and  does  an  immense 
business. 

From  Madera,  a  new  road  has  been 
completed  into  the  Yo-Semite  Valley,  via 
Fresno  Flats,  through  Fresno  and  Mari- 
posa  big  tree  groves.  For  map  of  route, 
see  page  120,  and  for  description  of 
route,  Annex  No.  53,  page  184. 

'No  visitor  to  this  coast  ever  thinks  of 
leaving  it  without  viewing  the  wonderful. 

Yo-Semite  Valley  and  the  Big 
Trees — The  grandest  scenery  on  the 
American  Continent,  if  not  in  the  world, 
is  to  be  seen  in  the  valley  of  the  Yo- 
Semite,  (pronounced  Yo-Sem-i-te ;  by  the 
Indians,  Yo-Hara-i-te).  This  valley  was 
discovered  by  white  men  in  March,  1851, 
first  by  Major  Savage.  It  is  about  eight 
miles  long,  and  from  one-half  to  a  mile  in 
width.  The  Merced  River  enters  the  head 
of  the  valley  by  a .  series  of  waterfalls, 
•which — combined  with  the  perpendicular 
granite  walls  which  rise  on  either  side 
from  3,000  to  6,000  feet  above  the  green 
valley  and  sparkling  waters  beneath — pre- 
sents a  scene  of  beauty  and  magnificent  i 
unsurpassed-  except,  possibly^  in  child- 
hood's  fairy  dreams. 

Here  is  majesty — enchanting  —  awe-in- 
spiring— indescribable! — ^the  lofty  cloud- 
•  capped  waterfalls  and  mirrored  lakes ;  the 
towering,  perpendicular  granite  clifis  and 
fearful  chasms,  strike  the  beholder  with  a 
wondering  admiration  impossible  to  de- 
scribe. 

We  have  often  desired  to  take  our  read- 
.  ers  with  us,  in  a  pen  and  pencil  descrip- 
tion of  this  most  remarkable  valley,  and 
14 


the  "  Big  Trees,"  but  in  view  of  our  lim- 
ited space,  the  magnitude  of  the  under- 
taking, together  with  our  conscious  in- 
ability  to  do  justice  to  the  subject,  we  have 
contented  ourselves  by  giving  a  number  of 
beautiful  illustrations,  which  include  the 
great  Yo-Semite  Falls,  Nevada  Falls,  Mir- 
ror  Lake,  ana  a  map  of  the  routes  and  the 
surrounding  country,  showing  the  rela- 
tive position  of  the  valley,  trees,  and  ad- 
joining towns  to  the  railroad. 

The  most  notable  falls  in  Yo-Semite 
Valley  are:  the  Ribbon,  3,300  feet  fall; 
the  Upper  Yo-Semite,  2,634  feet;  the 
Bridal  Veil,  950;  the  Nevada,  700;  the 
Lower  Yo-Semite,  600;  the  Vernal,  350 
feet.  The  South  Dome  is  6,000  feet  high ; 
the  Three  Brothers,  4,000;  Cap  of  Liberty, 
4,240;  Three  Graces,  3,750;  North  Dome, 
3,725;  Glaciers  Point,  3,705;  El-Capitain, 
3  300;  Sentinel  Rocks,  3,270;  Cathedral 
Rocks,  2,690;  Washington  Tower,  2,200; 
and  the  Royal  Arches,  1,800  feet  high. 

The  Fresno  Grove  of  Big  trees  has  not 
heretofore  been  accessible  to  the  tourist, 
and  will  therefore  form  a  new  and  attract- 
ive feature  to  this  modern  route.  Like 
the  Mariposa  Grove,  it  is  divided  into  two 
groves,  usually  called  the  Upper  and  Lower, 
about  one  mile  apart,  and  covering  a  mile 
square  each — together  they  contain  from 
800  to  900  trees  of  the  Sequoia  Qigantea  of 
all  sizes.  One  in  the  Upper  Grove  meas- 
ures 88  feet  in  circumference  6  feet  from 
the  ground.  In  the  Lower  Grove  there  is 
one  that  is  95  feet  in  circumference  3  feet 
from  the  ground. 

From  Madera,  we  find  a  grazing  country ; 
large  herds  of  sheep  abound. 

The  old  Fresno  placer  mines  are  to  the 
eastward,  along  tne  foot-hills,  but  little 
is  being  done  with  them,  by  the  whites; 
the  Chinese  are  working  them  over,  as  they 
ai'e  many  of  the  abandoned  placers 
throughout  the  State. 

Borden — on  Cottonwood  Creek,  is 
the  next  station.  This  place  is  2.8  miles 
from  Madera,  with  about  100  population. 
Here  irrigating  ditches  appear  on  each 
side,  and  much  of  the  laud  is  under  culti- 
vation. Nine  miles  further  comes  Syca- 
more, a  side-track  of  little  account,  just 
at  tlie  crossing  of  the  San  Joaquin  River, 
which  is  here  a  small  stream,  with  very 
little  water.  The  country  is  now  quite 
flat,  with  many  little  round  mounds  from 
ten  to  thirty  feet  in  diameter,  and  from 
two  to  five  feet  in  height.  They  present 
a  very  peculiar  appearance,  somewhat  re- 


212 


PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


villow^ 


Bembling  a  prairie  dog  town,  only  much 
larger,  and  without  the  hole  in  the  top. 

From  Sycamore  it  is  9.8  miles  to 

S^resno — the  county  seat  of  Fresno 
county,  a  county  the  most  diversified  in 
the  State,  where  land  can  be  purchased  for 
from  $3.00  to  $10  per  acre.  The  town  of 
Fresno  has  a  population  of  about  800 »  has 
a  $60,000  court-house,  some  good  business 
blocks,  two  weekly  newspapers — the  Ex- 
nositor  and  M&oiew — and  is  a  thrifty,  grow- 
ing place.  The  soil  about  the  town  is 
largely  clay,  producing  well  when  irri- 
gated, but  never  a  seed  without. 

A  most  beautiful  view  is  here  to  be  ob- 
tained of  the  mountains  on  the  left;  the 
principal  peaks  rise  from  12.,000  to  14,000 
feet  above  this  valley,  covered  with  snow 
the  year  round  Planted  timber  appears 
at  places,  and  some  of  the  private  resi- 
dences are  surrounded  by  trees,  mostly 
eucalyptus 

A  stage  line  runs  to  Centreville,  seventeen 
miles  east.  Several  schemes  are  in  hand 
for  building  laige  irrigating  canals,  taking 
the  water  from  the  San  Joaquin  and  King's 
rivers,  which,  when  completed,  will  be  of 
great  benefit  to  this  people. 

To  the  southwest,  three  and  a  half  miles, 
is  located  the  California  Colony  of  about 
125  families  The  colony's  land  is  regu- 
larly laid  out  for  a  town,  with  40  acres  of 
ground  for  each  family.  The  canal  that 
supplies  water  to  the  colony  is  crossed 
about  five  miles  after  leaving  Fresno. 
Little  ot  tlie  laud  along  here  lying  near  the 
road  IS  cultivated,  but  when  the  irrigating 
canals  spoken  of  are  completed,  they  -v^ill 
all  be  found  ocxjupied  and  yielding  lai-ge 
crops. . 

From  Fresno  it  is  9.6  miles  to 

Fowler — a  small  station  where  trains 
seldom  stop,  there  being  only  half-a-dozen 
iuildings— so  we  roll  on  10.5  miles  fui"- 
iherto 

Kingsburg— where  there  are  several 
stores,  and  about  one  dozen  buildings. 

All  along  this  valley  numerous  wind 
mills  are  in  operation,  for  irrigating  and 
domestic  purposes,  that  raise  abundance  of 
good  water  from  a  depth  of  from  fifteen  to 
forty  feet.  Soon  after  leaving  Kingsbury, 
the  road  is  built  on  an  embankment  which 
extends  to  King's  River,  which  is  crossed 
on  a  lon^  trestle  bridge. 

This  river  rises  in  the  high  Sierras,  to 
the  northeast,  and  after  reaching  this  val- 
ley, has  a  broad,  sandy  bottom,  is  very 
crooked,  its    course   being   marked,   far 


above  and  below,  with  trees  and  willows 
which  grow  thickly  along  its  bank.  King's 
River,  where  the  railroad  crosses  it,  is  the 
boundary  line,  beyond  which  lies  the 
county  of  Tulare. 

Sheep  ranches,  fenced  fields— some  very 
large — are  now  noticeable  extending  to  the 
right  and  left — well  we  don't  know  how 
far,  as  the  valley  hereabout  is  full  40  miles 
in  width,  and  sheep  and  fences,  and  fences 
and  sheep,  extend  as  far  as  the  eye  can 
distinguish  the  appearance  of  the  Land,  the 
soil  of  which  is  clay  and  sand,  in  places 
somewhat  alkaline.  Cattle  are  also 
raised  to  some  extent  in  the  foot-hills,  and 
pens  and  shutes  for  shipping  are  to  be 
seen  at  many  of  the  stations  on  the  road. 

The  next  station  is  Ckoss  Creek,  8.1 
miles  from  Kingsburg,  and  5  8  miles  from 

Goshen-  Here  we  come  to  the  South- 
ern  Pacific  railroad — Goshen  Division — 
the  track  of  which  could  be  seen  on  the 
right,  just  before  rea«.hing  the  station.  This 
division  is  only  completed  40  miles,  and  is 
designed,  eventually,  to  connect  with  the 
line  extending  towards  it  from  Gilroy, 
which  is  now  completed  to  Trespinos  100 
miles  south  of  San  Francisco,  referred  to 
on  page  207 

The  stations  on  the  Goshen  division  are* 
Hanford,  12.9  miles  from  Goshen-,  Le- 
MOOR,  eight  miles  further;  Heinlen,  1.6 
miles,  and  17.5  more  to 

Huron — whole  distance,  40  miles  from 
Goshen ,  distance  from  Huron  to  Trespi- 
nos,  100  miles.  This  division  runs  through 
what  IS  known  ss  the  "Mussel  Slough" 
fouutry,  u,  section  where  the  land  is  very 
lich,  adj  jining  Tulare  Lake,  on  the  north, 
wher  the  yield  of  all  kinds  of  crops  is 
marvelous  Reports  say  some  of  these 
lands  have  yielded  as  high  as  $250  per 
acre  in  a  singb  year ;  that  fioe  crops  of 
Alfalfa  a  year  is  common,  and  vegetables- 
well,  wc  will  mver  tell  you — the  yield  is 
immense!  two  hundred  pound  pumpkins, 
eight  feet  in  circumference ;  potatoes  twelve 
pounds  in  weight,  and  cornstalks  20  feet 
high,  are  some  of  the  figures  The  price 
of  land  ranges  from  $20  to  $100  per  acre. 

At  Goshen,  a  track  branches  off  to  the 
left,  on  which  cars  are  run  seven  miles  to 

ViSALiA  —  the  county  seat  of  Tulare 
county.  It  contains  about  1,600  inhabi- 
tants, and  is  situated  in  the  midst  of  the 
most  fertile  land  in  the  State,  and  on  the 
Kaweah  River  The  country  round  about 
presents  to  the  eye  a  beautiful  appearance. 
Large  oaks  cover  the  plain  in  every  di- 


CROFUTT'S    NEAY    OVERLAifD    TOURIST 


213 


rection,  aud  orchards,  gardens,  vineyards, 
and  well-cultivated  fields  are  to  be  seen  on 
every  hand.  Visalia  is  the  center  of  the 
rich  section  once  known  as  the  "Four 
Creek  Country." 

The  town  boasts  of  a  $75,000  court-house, 
some  good  stores,  gas-works,  several  big 
saw-mills,  six  hotels,  three  weekly  news- 
papers— the  Delta,  Times,  and  Iron  Age — 
one  bank,  a  flouring  mill,  a  normal  school, 
and  a  number  of  public  schools,  and 
churches  of  various  denominations.  Stages 
run  from  Visalia  to  Glenville,  65  miles. 

From  Goshen,  Visalia  is  entirely  ob- 
scured from  view  by  the  tall  oaks  that 
abound  in  this  section  of  the  country  on 
every  side.  These  oaks  are  old  and  ragged, 
many  are  fast  decaying,  and  when  gone, 
the  country  will  be  nearly  bare,  as  there 
are  few  young  trees  growing  to  take  their 
places. 

At  Goshen,  is  the  end  of  the  Visalia 
division  of  the  "  Central,"  and  the  com- 
mencement of  the  Tulare  Division  of  the 
Southern  Pacific — operated  under  a  lease 
by  the  *'  Central  "  company.  Although 
this  is  the  nominal  end  of  divisions,  all 
changes,  usual  at  such  stations,  are  made 
10.5  miles  further  at 

Tulare — This  is  a  new  town,  as  it 
were,  built  up  under  the  stimulating  in- 
fluences of  a  railroad  point  where  are  lo- 
cated extensive  shops,  round  house,  ware 
houses,  and  station  buildings,  incidental  to 
its  being  the  end  of  divisions.  The  town 
contains  about  500  population,  and  is  situ- 
ated in  the  midst  of  a  broad  plain  about 
20  miles  east  of  Tulare  Lake,  and  is  a 
thriving  town.  It  is  a  point  from  which 
larg  3  amounts  of  freight  arc  shipped  on 
wagons,  to  the  adjoining  country,  and 
where  wool  in  great  quantities,  is  brought 
for  shipment  to  San  Francisco. 

The  company's  shops  and  grounds  at 
this  place— as  is  the  case  in  some  other  lo- 
calities— are  surrounded  w  ith  rows  of  beau- 
tiful trees,  chief  of  which  is  the  "blue- 
gum."  These  trees,  from  a  distance,  give 
the  place  more  the  appearance  of  grounds 
surrounding  some  palatial  residence,  than 
where  several  hundred  men  are  employed 
Jnanipulating  iron.  These  grounds  are 
also  covered  with  green  sward,  which  is 
watered  when  necessary,  by  long  hose  con- 
nected with  the  works. 

Soon  after  leaving  Tulare,  we  cross  Deep 
and  Tulare  creeks,  both  narrow  streams  with 
steep  banks,  rich  soil,  and  lined  with  trees ; 
the  land  is  covered  with  a  thick  growth  of 


short  grass.  Passing  the  neigborhood  of 
these  creeks,  the  country  seems  to  suddenly 
change,  and  at 

Tipton— 10.4  miles  from  Tulare,  pre- 
sents a  barren  appearance.  To  the  right, 
left  and  front,  sheep  abound,  but  not  a  tree 
or  shrub.  Five  miles  beyond  Tipton,  are 
groves  of  eucalyptus  trees,  immense  num- 
bers of  which  are  on  both  sides  of  the 
road.  The  lands  here,  that  aTe  irrigated  at 
all,  are  supplied  with  windmills.  Twelve 
miles  from  Tipton  comes 

Alila— just  after  crossing  Deer  Creek. 

Tulare  Lake,  is  about  seven  miles  west 
of  this  station,  and  is  a  body  of  water  cov- 
ering an  area  of  about  7,000  square  miles, 
is  nearly  round,  or  30  miles  lon^  by  25 
miles  in  width,  in  which  fish  in  great 
varieties  abound,  as  do  ducks,  geese,  and 
other  water  fowl. 

Owens  Lake  —  another  large  sheet  of 
water,  but  not  as  large  as  Tulare  by  about 
one-fourth— is  78  miles  from  Alila,  in  a 
northeasterly  direction. 

Passing  on  over  White  River,  8.3  miles, 
we  come  to  Delano,  a  place  of  a  half- 
dozen  buildings,  just  in  the  edge  of  Kern 
county.  The  country  along  here  is  treeless 
and  not  very  inviting.  From  Delano  it  is 
11.8  miles  to  Poso,  and  11.8  miles  more  to 

I^erdo — To  the  southwest,  about  40 
miles,  are  located  the  Buena  Vista  Oil 
Works,  in  a  section  of  country  where 
great  quantities  of  oil  are  founa  in  holes 
and  ditches  in  the  ground,  where  it  is  now 
waiting  for  enterprise  to  sink  wells,  build 
tanks  for  saving  and  marketing,  when  it 
will  yield  immense  returns.  This  oil 
region  is  about  eight  miles  by  three  in 
area. 

Passing  on  about  nine  miles,  we  come  to 
Kern  River,  which  we  cross  on  a  long 
trestle  bridge.  This  river  is  one  of  the 
largest  flowing  from  the  Sierras,  and  even 
in  a  dry  season,  carries  a  large  amount  of 
water. 

Suinmer— is  the  next  station  reached, 
12.4  miles  from  Lerdo.  This  is  a  verv 
busy  place  of  about  250  population,  it 
being  the  distributing  point  for  a  large 
amount  of  freight.  To  the  .westward,  one 
and  a  half  miles,  and  connected  by  "buses" 
hourly,  is 

Bakersfield — This  town  is  the  county 
seat  of  Kern  county,  and  contains  a  popu- 
ulation  of  about  800.  It  is  situated  at  the 
junction  of  the  two  branches  of  Kern  River, 
has  a  $35,000  court  house,  a  bank,  several 
hotels,   a  flouring-mill    and    two  weekly 


214 


PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


BIRDS-EYE  VIEW  OF  THE   LOOP,  TEHACHAPI   PASS. 


newspapers.  Kern  Lake  is  14  miles 
south  01  west  from  Bakersfield,  and  is 
about  seven  miles  long  by  four  wide. 
Six  miles  further  is  Buena  Yista  Lake, 
some  larger.  Around  these  lakes,  and 
Tulare  Lake,  the  land  is  exceedingly 
rich. 

Kern  "Valley,  in  which  Bakersfield 
and  these  lakes  are  situated,  is  one  of 
the  richest  in  the  State,  being  com- 
posed almost  wholly  of  sedimentary 
deposits.  Vegetables  grow  to  fabulous 
proportions, the  soil  being  of  the  same 
nature  as  that  in  the  "  Mussel  Slough 
Country  "  before  named. 


The  irrigating  canals  are  extensive. 
One  is  over  40  miles  in  length,  with  a 
width  of  from  100  to  275  feet,  eight  feet 
deep,cost  $100,000.  Besides  the  canals 
there  are  many  farms  that  are  irriga- 
ted by  wells  and  wind-mills.  There  is 
one  ranche,  nine  miles  from  Bakers- 
field, that  contains  7,000  acres,  on 
which  are  two  flowing  artesian  wells, 
of  seven  inches  bore,  one  260  and  the 
other  300  feet  deep.  From  these  wells 
the  water  rises  twelve  feet  above  the 
surface,  and  discharges  over  80,000 
gallons  per  day. 

On  this  ranche  are  over  150  miles  of 


JMo.  46  Annex.    The  large  vienv, No.  18,  o* 

San  Francisco  and  the  Golden  Gate,  is  arealmwl' 
tiim  inparvo—a,  complete  bird's  eye  view  of  the 
city  of  San  Francisco  and  its  surroundiags,  cov- 
ering a  scope  of  country  about  twelve  miles  in 
diameter— showing  the  Golden  Gate,  portions  of 
San  Francisco  Bay,  the  Pacific  Ocean  in  the  dis- 
tance, and  the  Pier  of  the  Central  Pacific  rail- 
road in  the  foreground,  from  whence  passengers 
are  transferred  across  the  bay  to  "  Frisco. "  This 
beautiful  picture  has  been  prepared  and  engraved 
expressly  for  this  book.  It  shows  what  the  God- 
dess of  "American  Progress  "—as  represented  by 
view  No.  1— has  accomplished  within  the  peist 
few  years,  and  is  a  very  appropriate  illustration 
with  which  to  close  oux  series  of  large  views  from 
Ocean  to  Ocean. 

Crofutt's  Grip-Sack  Guide  tells  all  about  Co- 
lorado.   Sold  on  the  trains. 


Wo.  43  Annex.  ]|Ioant  iiihasta- as  shown 
in  No.  15,  of  our  large  views,  is  a  prominent  fea- 
ture in  the  landscape  of  the  Sacramento  VaUey, 
at  the  head  of  which  it  is  located. 

The  view  is  looking  to  the  northeast.  In  the  fore- 
ground is  the  broad  Valley  of  the  Sacramento, 
then  come  towering  forest  trees,  massive  rocks, 
and  a  variety  of  .foUage,  upon  which  alternate 
patches  of  shade  and  sunlight  are  thrown  with 
striking  effect.  Above  all,  towering  high  in  mid- 
air. Mount  Shasta  springs,  in  a  series  of  graceful 
curves,  far  up  into  an  almost  unclouded  heaven, 
its  sides  and  summits  enfolded  in  the  eternal 
snows.  The  contrast  between  the  verdure-clad 
valley  and  the  cold,  wintry  peaks  of  old  Shasta, 
Mug  of  mountains,  is  a  chief  interest  in  the  pic- 
ture, reminding  the  spectator  of  some  of  the  most 
Striking  effects  of  Alpine  scenery.  Mt.  Shasta 
is  14,440  feet  high.    (See  page  169.) 


PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


215 


CROSSING  THE   LOOP  OVER  TUNNEL   NO.    9,   TEHACHAPI    PASS. 


canals  and  irrigating  ditches,  32  miles 
of  hog- tight  board  fence;  4,000  acres 
are  under  cultivation,  3,000  of  which 
are  in  alfalfa,  from  which  four  and  six 
crops  a  year  are  cut.  Nearer  Bakers- 
field,  the  same  party,  Mr.  H.  P.  Liver- 
more,  has  another  large  ranche,  with 
500  acres  in  alfalfa,  and  3,000  in  wheat 
and  barley.  On  these  ranches  are 
8,000  sheep,  4,000  stock  cattle,  300  cows, 
350  horses,  100  oxen,  70  mules,  and  1,- 
500  hogs.  The  same  party  makes  all 
his  own  reapers,  mowers,  harvesters, 
plows,  harrows,  threshing  machines 
and  cultivators — everything  in  use  on 
the  place,  except  steam  engines.  He 
has  one  plow,  the  "  Great  Western," 


which  is  said  to  be  the  largest  in  the 
world.  It  weighs  something  over  a  ton 
and  is  hauled  by  80  oxen,  cutting  a 
farrow  five  feet  wide  and  three  feet 
deep,  and  moving  eight  miles  a  day. 
Another  plow  called  "  Sampson,"  is 
used  for  ditching,  and  requires  40 
mules  to  work  it. 

Another  party  in  the  county  has  40,- 
000  sheep,  2,000  acres  in  alfalfa,  and 
raises  60,000  bushels  of  grain.  Another 
poor  fellow  raised,  in  1877,  84,000  lbs, 
of  pumpkins  and  sweet  potatoes; 
some  of  the  former  weighed  210  lbs., ' 
and  of  the  latter  some  weighed  15t 
pounds.  While  attending  to  these  lit- 
tle vegetables,  he  would  occasionally 


Xf>,  37  Annex.  Fa  I  In  of  the  IVilfamette 

River.— The  scene  of  the  large  illustration,  No. 
9,  represents  the  Falls  of  the  Willamette  River, 
at  Oregoa  City,  Oregon,  where  the  hills  approach 
the  river  on  each  side,  forcing  the  river  through 
a  deep  canyon,  and  over  a  fall  of  from  30  to  40 
feet.  The  cliffs  on  either  side  of  the  river  rise 
abruptly  hundreds  of  feet  in  height,  and  are  cov- 


ered at  the  top  and  less  precipitoug  places.witha 
growth  of  evergreens.  Locks  aie  built  on  the 
Oregon  City  side  of  the  river,  large  enough  to  ad- 
mit the  passage  of  boats  200  feet  long  and  40  feet 
in  width.  Water  power  is  also  supplied  from  the 
same  source  of  4,000  horse  powers, which  is  used 
for  running  woolen  mills  and  other  manufactories 
at  Oregon  City. 


216 


CROFUTT  S    NEW    OVERLAND    TOURIST 


look  after  a  small  band  of  sixteen  thousand 
sheep. 

But  enough  of  this.  We  could  fill  our 
book  with  these  and  many  other  astonish- 
ing  figures.  "  Well,"  you  will  say,  "  these 
California  farmers  should  be  contented  and 
happy  men."  One  would  think  so,  but 
they  are  not.  They  are  the  most  inveterate 
grumblers  of  any  class  of  people  in  the 
world  All  Californians  will,  in  the  iifter- 
vals  between  grumbles,  express  the  opinion 
that  tliere  is  no  place  under  the  blue  canopy 
of  heaven  so  good  for  a  white  man  to  live 
in  as  California.  Ah,  well  I  are  they  cor- 
rect? Persc/nally,  were  it  necessary,  our 
affirm  could  be  forthcoming. 

Returning  to  Summer,  twelve  miles, 
brings  us  to  a  small  place  called  Pampa, 
an  I  7  3  miles  more  to 

C alien te~Since  leaving  Summer,  the 
grade  has  increased ;  the  valley  has  been 
gradually  narrowing  by  the  closing  in  of 
the  mountain  ranges  on  each  side,  leaving 
only  a  narrow  strip  of  land.  Nearing  this 
station,  it  still  more  contracts,  until  a  deep 
canyon  is  reached,  in  the  mouth  of  which 
is  located  Caliente,  surrounded  by  towering 
cliffs.  There  are  several  &tores,  one  hotel 
and  a  large  station  and  freight  Avarehouse 
at  this  pi  ace.  A  large  amount  of  freight  is 
re-shipped  at  this  point,  on  wagons,  for  the 
surrounding  country.  Stages  leave  this 
station  daily  for  Havilah,  25  miles;  Keru- 
ville^  45  miles;  fare  about  14  cents  per 
mile.  These  stages  carry  passengers,  mails 
and  express.  Tourists  should  now  note 
the  elevations ;  Caliente  is  1,290  feet  above 
sea  level ;  within  the  next  25  miles  the  train 
will  rise  to  the  summit  of  Tehachapi  Pass, 
to  an  altitude  of  3,964  feet,  an  average  of 
over  106  feet  to  the  mile.  Within  this  dis- 
tance we  shall  find  some  of  the  grandest 
scenery  on  the  whole  line ;  will  pass  through 
seventeen  tunnels,  with  an  aggregate 
iength  of  7,683.9  feet,  and  then  "over  the 
LOOP,"  one  of  the  greatc  st  engineering  feats 
in  the  world ;  feat  where  a  railroad  is  like  a 
^ood  Roman  Catholic — madelocr<?8«^V«e^^. 
But  here,  the  difference  is  in  favor  of  the 
■railroad,  as  these  Californians  will  always 
'be  a  l-e-e-tle  ahead ;  it  does  its  crossing  on  a 
run,  up  grade,  toward  heav-  n  [Any  design 
to  indicate  the  route  of  the  good  Catholic  is 
disclaimed.]  See  illustrations  on  pages 
214  and  215. 

Away  up  the  canyon,  the  grade  of  the 
road  can  be  seen  at  a  number  of  places 
where  it  winds  around  the  points  of  pro- 
jecting mountain  spurs  from  which  points 


we  will  soon  be  able  to  look  down  upon 
Caliente. 

Leaving  the  station,  our  route  will  be 
found  illustrated  on  page  214.  Caliente 
is  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains,  at  the  ex- 
treme further  end  of  the  dotted  line,  which 
indicates  the  course  of  the  road,  and  shows 
its  M  indings,  the  Loop  and  the  surrounding 
Count  ly,  on  a  flat  surface.  As  we  ascend 
the  narrow  canyon,  the  road  gradually 
commences  to  climb  the  side  of  the  cliflrs 
on  the  right,  leaving  the  bed  of  the  canyon 
far  below,  on  the  left.  Up,  up,  around 
rocky  points  and  the  head  of  small  ravines, 
over  high  embankments,  through  deep 
cuts,  and  tunnels  "  One  "  and  "  Two,"  a  dis- 
tance of  5  3  miles  from  Caliente,  we  arrive  at 

Heal vi lie— This  is  a  small  station 
named  in    honor  of  General    Beal,  late  , 
minister  to   Austria,  who  owned  200,000 
acres  of  land  in  this  county. 

Oaks,  cedar  and  spruce  trees  are  to  be 
seen  in  the  gorges  and  on  the  mountain 
side,  where  a  sufficient  soil  is  left  between 
the  rocks  and  an  occasional  shrub  of  the 
manzanita,  along  the  road.  Continuing 
our  climb,  the  ravines  are  deeper  at  every 
turn ;  tunnels  No.  three,  four  and  five  are 
passed  through,  each  revealing  in  its  turn, 
new  wonders  and  rapid  changes.  No.  five 
tunnel  is  the  longest  on  this  ''  Pass,"  after 
passing  which  and  No  six  tunnel,  the  can- 
yons on  the  left  become  a  fearful  gorge^ 

Just  after  emerging  from  the  sixth  tun- 
nel,  by  looking  away  down  the  canyon, 
Caliente  can  be  seen,  and  at  the  rounding 
of  nearly  every  mountain  spur  for  some 
miles  further.  Continuing  our  climb, 
winding  around  long  rocky  points  and  the 
head  of  deep  ravines,  twisting  and  turning 
to  gain  altitude,  the  scenery  is  wondrous  in 
its  rapid  changes.  The  old  Los  Angeles 
and  San  Francisco  wagon  road  can  be 
seen  in  places,  where  it.  too,  winds  around 
the  side  of  the  mountain,  and  in  others, 
along  the  little  ravines  and  larger  canyons. 

The  opposite  mountains  now  loom  up  in 
huge  proportions,  rocky,  peaked  and  rag- 
ged, a  full  thousand  feet  above  our  heads, 
and  double  that  amount  above  the  bottom 
of  the  canyon  below.  Soon  after  passing 
tunnels  seven  and  eight ;  agai  n  we  look  down 
from  dizzy  heights  into  fearful,  feaiful 
chasms,  tip  a  long  curve  to  the  rignt,  and 
we  are  at  a  point  where  the  mountains, 
from  ten  to  twenty  miles  to  the*  south  ana 
westward  can  be  seen,  the  peaks  of  many 
covered  with  snow. 
Iteeiie— is   reached   8.3    miles  from 


AND    PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


217 


Bealville.  This  station  is  not  an  impor- 
tant one,  and  trains  do  not  always  stop,  but 
pass  on,  across  two  bridges  in  quick  suc- 
cession, many  deep  gravel-cuts,  and  then, 
after  curving  to  the  right,  we  approach 
the  "  Loop  "  and  tunnel  No.  nine.  Passing 
through  this  tunnel,  we  start  on  the  grand 
curve  around  the  "  Loop,"  and  soon  find  our- 
selves over  the  tunnel  and  in  the  position 
of  the  train  as  illustrated  on  page  215. 

This  "Loop"  is  340  miles  from  San 
Francisco,  is  3,795  feet  in  length,  with 
an  elevation  of  2,956  feet  at  the  lower 
and  3,034  feet  at  the  upper  track,  making 
a  diiference  between  tracks,  of  78  feet. 

Leaving  the  "  Loop,"  our  tram  continues 
to  climb  and  curve,  first  to  the  left,  then 
to  the  right,  and  after  passing  through  two 
more  tunnels,  Nos.  10  and  11,  conies  to 

Gerard  — a  station  5.4  miles  from 
Keene,  more  in  name  than  fact.  Here 
the  old  Tehachapi  Pass  stage  road  ap- 
pears. The  mountains  are  not  as  high 
above  us,  but  are  rough,  broken,  and 
ragged,  covered  in  many  places  with 
stunted,  scrubby  pines  and  cedars.  Rolling 
on,  we  pass  through,  in  quick  succession, 
tunnels  Nos.  12,  13,  14,  15,  16  and  17,  be- 
sides  a  number  of  short  bridges,  and  come 
to  more  open  ground;  pass  Graceville, 
once  an  old  stage  station— on  the  right, 
and  6.4  miles  from  Gerard  arrive  at 

Tehachapi  Summit—  elevation, 
3,964  feet— the  highest  on  the  road.  This 
station  consists  of  one  store,  a  hotel,  tele- 
graph office,  and  half-a-dozen  buildings. 
To  the  southeast  about  five  miles  distant, 
a  marble  quarry  is  reported,  of  good 
quality.  The  station  is  situated  on  a  high 
grassy  plateau,  of  a  few  thousand  acres, 
with  high  mountain  ranges  to  the  east  and 
west,  and  although  near  4,000  feet  in  alti- 
tude the  climate  is  so  mild  and  agree- 
able that  some  years  the  crops  are  very 
good,  and  grazing  excellent.  Many  sheep 
are  to  be  seen  in  the  valley  and  on  the 
hills  which  are  covered  with  fine  grass. 

Leaving  the  summit,  we  run  along  this 
plateau  for  a  few  miles,  and  then  commence 
a  gradual  descent  towards  the  Mojava 
Desert.  To  the  right  is  a  small  lake— dry 
in  summer — where  salt  can  be  shoveled  up 
by  the  wagon  load.  About  eight  miles 
from  the  Summit,  the  little  valley  down 
which  we  have  been  rolling,  narrows  to  a 
few  hundred  feet  with  high  canyon  walls 
on  each  side. 

Cameron— is  the  first  station  from 
Summit,  9.2  miles  distant,  of  little  account. 


Near  this  station  we  find  the  first  of  the 
species  of  cactus,  as  illustrated  on  page 
221.    In  this  country  they  are  called  the 

Yucca  Palm— These  trees  grow  quite 
large,  sometimes  attaining  a  diameter  of 
from  two  to  three  feet,  and  a  height  of  from 
40  to  50  feet.  They  are  peculiar  to  the  Mo- 
java Desert,  where  they  grow  in  immense 
numbers,  presenting  the  appearance,  at  a 
distance,  of  an  orchard  of  fruit  trees. 
Everything  is  said  to  have  its  uses,  and 
this  cactus,  or  palm— apparently  the  most 
worthless  of  all  things  that  grow,  is  being 
utilized  in  the  manufacture  of  paper,  and 
with  very  good  results.  One  mill  is  al- 
ready in  operation  at  Ravena,  and  consid- 
erable shipments  have  been  made.  The 
supply  of  "raw  material"  is  certainly 
abundant,  and  if  the  quality  of  the  paper 
is  as  good  as  reported,  the  Mojava  Desert 
may  be  able  to  show  cause  why  it  was 
created. 

Leaving  Cameron,  our  train  speeds  along 
lively,  and.  5.2  miles  we  come  to 

IVadean — soon  after  emerging  from 
the  canyon.  It  is  a  side-track  surrounded 
by  sage-brush,  sand  hills  and  cactus.  Away 
to  the  left  are  several  lakes,  dry  the  greater 
portion  of  the  year,  but  having  the  appear- 
ance of  water  at  all  times,  owing  to  the 
water  being  very  salt,  and  leaving  a  thick 
deposit  on  the  bed  of  the  lake  when  dry. 

From  Nadeau,  it  is  5.6  miles  to  the  end 
of  the  Tulare  division,  at 

Jflojava  —  (Pronounced  Mo-ha-vey.) 
At  times,  the  "  Mojava  Zephyr  "  is  any- 
thing but  a  gentle  zephyr,  yet,  by  using 
both  hands,  any  per?ou  of  orainary  strength 
can  keep  their  hat  on.  The  surroundings 
of  this  place  are  not  very  beautiful,  situ- 
ated as  it  is  on  a  desert;  but  for  its  size,  it 
is  a  busy  place.  It  is  a  regular  eating 
station  where  trains  stop  half  an  hour,  and 
good  meals  are  served,  at  the  Mojava 
House,  close  to  the  depot — on  Main  St. 
The  place  consists  of  several  stores,  one 
hotel,  large  station  building  and  freight 
warehouse,  a  15-stall  round-house,  a  repair 
and  machine  shop  and  about  a  dozen  pri- 
vate residences. 

The  water  used  at  the  station  comes  in 
pipes  from  Cameron  station,  eleven  miles 
north.  A  large  amount  of  freight  is  re- 
shipped  from  this  station  on  wagons  to 
Darwin,  100  miles,  and  Independence,  168 
miles,  in  Inyo  county — to  the  northeast — 
on  the  east  side  of  the  Sierra  Nevada 
Mountains.  Returning,  these,  wagons  are 
loaded  with  bullion  from  the  mines.     The 


218 


ceofutt's  new  overland  tourist 


Cerro  Gordo  Freighting  Co.,  who  do  most 
of  this  freight  hauling  employ  700  head  of 
animals. 

Stages  leave  Mojava  every  alternate  day, 
carrying  passengers,  mails  and  express  to 
Darwin,  100  miles ;  Cerro  Gordo,  125  miles ; 
Lone  Pine,  150  miles,  and  Independence, 
168  miles  to  the  northeast;  fare,  14  cents 
per  mile. 

Mojava  is  the  commencement  of  the  Los 
Angeles  Division.  The  proposed  route  of 
the  Southern  Pacific  railroad — as  successor 
of  the  rights  granted  to  the  old  Atlantic 
and  Paciiic  Co.,  to  the  Colorado  River,  at 
the  Needles — diverges  at  this  point,  and 
runs  due  east.  The  lowest  point  of  the 
Mojava  Plains  crossed  by  the  railroad  sur- 
vey, is  at  the  sink  of  the  Mojava  River, 
133  miles  east.  Its  elevation  is  960  feet, 
the  highest  point  being  3,935  feet,  at  the 
summit  of  Granite  Pass.  The  crossing  of 
the  Colorado,  at  the  Needles,  is  254  miles 
east  from  Mojava. 

Leaving  Mojava,  our  course  is  south, 
over  the  desert,  from  which  rise  great 
numbers  of  round  buttes ;  they  are  of  all 
sizes,  from  a  half-acre  at  the  base,  to 
several  acres;  from  one  hundred  to  five 
hundred  feet  in  height.  Most  of  these 
buttes  run  to  a  peak,  and  are  grooved  or 
worn    out    by   the    elements    into  small 


ravines,  from  summit  to  base,  presenting  a 
peculiar  appearance.  The  cactus,  or  palms, 
are  very  numerous. 

Passmg  Gloster,  6.6  miles  from  Mo- 
java, where  there  is  not  even  a  side-track, 
and  7.2  miles  further,  we  arrive  at 

ISand  Creek — where  trains  seldom 
stop.  To  the  left,  ten  miles,  is  Mirage 
Lake,  which  looks  like  water,  but  is 
mostly  sand  and  alkali.  (For  a  descrip- 
tion  of  this  remarkable  phenomena,  see 
page  142.) 

boledad  Mountain  can  now  be  seen  on 
our  right,  through  which  our  road  finds  a 
way,  but  where  and  how,  does  not  appear. 
Large  numbers  of  sheep  range  over  these 
plains  at  times,  and  appear  to  thrive. 

From  Sand  Creek,  it  is  eleven  miles  to 
Lancaster,  a  side-track,  and  10.9  miles 
further  we  come  to 

Alpine — For  the  last  twenty  miles 
the  palms  have  been  very  numerous,  but 
we  shall  soon  leave  them  and  the  desert. 
Scrub  cedar,  sand  cuts — some  very  deep — 
are  now  in  order,  while  rapidly  climbing 
up  to  the  summit  of  the  Soledad  Pass, 
which  we  reach  four  miles  from  Alpine, 
crossing  it  at  xm  elevation  of  3,211  feet,  and 
then  descend  to 

Acton— a  distance  of  9.7  miles  from 
^  Alpine.    This  is  an   unimportant  station 


STo.  3^8  Annex.  Pioneer  Mail  Enter- 
prises —  Cbossino  the  Sieeras  on  Snow- 
Skates. — The  rapid  settlement  of  the  fertile  val- 
leys lying  at  the  eastern  base  of  the  High  Sierras 
of  California,  created  a  want  for  mail  facilities  in 
advance  of  regular  methods.  It  is  weU  known 
that  previous  to  the  winter  of  1854,  the  fearless 
settlers  of  this  isolated  inland  world  were  shut 
out  from  communion  with  the  great  throbbing 
heart  of  civilization  on  the  outside  for  three  or 
four  months  of  every  year,  by  that  almost  inac- 
cessible and  snow-clad  range.  Those  whose  te- 
merity let  events  bid  defiance  to  this  battle- 
ground of  the  storms,  and  sought  to  scale  its 
snowy-ramparts,  too  frequently  became  snow- 
blind,  or  foot-frozen :  or,  still  more  frequencjly, 
lay  down  to  that  sleep  which  knows  no  wakixig — 
their  only  mantle  the  fast-falling  snow. 

In  this  emergency  one  brave  heart,  at  least, 
was  found  to  dare  the  perilous  task  of  carrying 
the  United  States  mail  to  those  enteri^rising  pio- 
neers. It  was  Mr.  John  A.  Thompson,  a  Norwe- 
gian. Early  education  and  habit  had  made  him 
an  adept  in  the  use  of  the  snow  skate.  Without 
hesitation  he  made  a  contract  with  T.  J.  Matte- 
son,  of  Murphy's  Camp,  Calaveras  county,  to 
continue  postal  service  in  winter,  as  well  as  in 
summer,  over  the  route,  via  the  Calaveras  grove 
of  big  trees  (the  only  grove  then  known),  to  Car- 
son City,  for.S200  per  month,  without  regard  to 
the  depth  of  snow. 

Our  illustration  introduces  our  hero  in  propria 
persoiuB.  It  will  be  seen  at  a  glance  that  the 
snow-skate  is  totally  unlike  the  Indian  or  Cana- 


dian snow-shoe— th.e  latter  being  adapted  mainly 
to  a  light,  loose  snow  and  level  country  ;  and  the 
former  to  compact  masses  and  mountainous  dis- 
tricts. The  "  shoe,"  moreover,  is  of  slow  snd  la- 
borious use  ;  whereas,  the  "  skate  "  is  of  exceed- 
ingly rapid  and  exhilirating  adaptability— espe- 
cially on  down  grades,  when  its  speed  is  ne- 
quently  equal  to  the  ordinary  locomotive.  The 
motion  fs  a  slide  -not  a  step.  The  pole  in  the 
mail  carrier's  hand  acts  as  a  brake  on  down 
grades,  and  as  a  propeller  up  hill. 

In  Sierra  county,  Cahfornia,  where  snow  often 
falls  to  the  depth  often  or  twelve  feet,  the  snow- 
skate  is  a  great  favorite,  becoming  a  source  of 
pleasant  recreation  on  moon-lit  evenings— visits 
of  from  ten  to  fifteen  miles  being  made  after  tea, 
and  returning  the  same  evening.  Here,  foo. 
snow-skating  forms  one  of  the  most  popular  of 
pagtimes — racing.  A  belt,  studded  and  set  with 
silver,  becomes  the  prize  of  the  successful  racer. 
Sometimes  young  ladies  will  challenge  gentle- 
men to  a  race  for  a  pocket  handkerchief , "or  a  pair 
of  gloves— which,  of  course,  is  always  accepted. 
The  accidents  which  sometimes  occur  throw  no 
damper  on  the  sport.    See  page  60, 

The  Sierra  IVevada  Mountains- are 
about  500  mUes  long,  and  from  60  to  100  miles  in 
width,  their  general  direction  northwest  and 
southeast.  The  height  of  the  principal  peaks  are 
— Mt.  Whitney,  15,088  feet;  Williams,  14,600; 
Shasta,  14,444 ;  Tvndall,  14,386 ;  Raweah,  14,000  ; 
Gardner,  14,000;  King,  14,000;  Brewer,  13,886; 
Dana,  13,227;  Lyell,  13,117;  Castle  Peak,  13,000; 
Cathedral  Peak,  11,000 ;  Lassen's,  10.578  feet. 


AND    PACIFIC    COAST   GUIDE. 


219 


near  the  head  of  the  infamous  SoiediM.1, 
Canyon,  known  as  the  "Robbers'  Roost." 
This  canyon  is  a  deep  gorge,  with 
rugged,  towering  mountain  cliffs  rising 
on  ^ach  side,  in  places  from  500  to  2,000 
feet  above  the  bed  of  the  canyon,  the 
fronts  of  which  look  as  though  they  had 
been  slashed  by  the  hand  of  the  great 
Architect,  from  summit  to  base,  into  nar- 
row, deep  ravines,  and  then  left,  present- 
ing as  wild,  gloomy  and  dismal  gorges  as 
the  most  vivid  imagination  can  conceive.' 
These,  with  the  dense  growth  of  pines, 
cedar  and  shrubs,  make  the  mountains 
almost  impenetrable,  and  all  that  the  most 
wary  villain  could  desire. 

The  canyon  is  about  25  miles  in  length, 
inhabited  mostly  by  Mexicans.  It  was  the 
headquarters  and  home  of  the  noted 
Vasqu'  s,  and  his  robber  band,  who  was 
hung  at  San  Jose,  March  19,  1875.  Later, 
a  band  of  a  dozen  or  more  raided  Caliente, 
binding  and  gaging  all  who  came  in  their 
way,  and  after  loading  their  riding  ani- 
mals with  all  they  could  carry,  returned  to 
this  their  rendezvous.  By  a  shrewd  plan, 
five  of  the  number  were  captured,  and 
lodged  in  jail  at  Bakersfield,  from  which 
they  were  taken  by  tLe  citizens  and  hung 
without  much  expense  to  the  county.  But 
with  all  their  devilment,  the  trains  and 
railroad  property  have  always  been  secure. 
At  the  next  station,  the  brother  of  this 
noted  chief  resides,  against  whom,  as  we 
understand,  there  stand  no  accusations. 

Passing  on  down,  the  canyon  widens,  and 
Cottonwood,  sycamore  and  a  few  oaks  and 
willows  line  the  little  creek,  which  ripples 
over  the  sands.  Mining,  to  some  extent, 
is  carried  on  by  t^;e  Mexicans  living  here, 
but  in  a  primitive  way,  using  arastras,  with 
water,  horse,  hand,  and,  in  three  cases, 
steam  power. 

Bavena — is  the  next  station,  3.7  miles 
from  Acton.  Here  are  located  a  village  of 
several  dozen  log,  sod  and  stone  houses,  be- 
longing  to  the  Mexicans,  and  the  paper 
mill,  before  alluded  to,  as  utilizing  the 
yucca  palm  for  making  paper. 

"We  were  told  at  this  place  that  "  moss 
agates  and  grizzly  bears  abound,"  but  just 
why  the  two  should  be  coupled  together, 
we  are  not  informed. 

About  one  mile  below  Ravena,  on  the 
left,  away  up  on  the  side  of  the  mountain, 
600  feet  above  our  train,  is  a  huge  rock, 
called  George  Washington,  from  the  fact 
that  it  bears  a  striking  likeness  to  the 
"father  of   his    country,"  Avho,  it  seems 


has  left  his  impress  all  over  his  country. 
Continuing  down,  the  canyon  naiTowsj 
the  bluffy  walls  on  each  side  assume 
more  formidable  features,  and  in  fact  ia 
the  most  formidable  portion  of  the  can- 
yon, the  rugged  spurs  shooting  out  as 
though  they  would  bar  our  farther  progress. 
Two  of  these  spurs  did  bar  the  progress 
of  our  way,  until  tunnels  were  completed 
through  them,  which  aggregate  596  feet  in 
length. 

Timber  can  be  seen  on  the  tops  of  the 
mountains,  and  in  the  largest  of  the  deep 
ravines,  but  inaccessible,  from  the  un- 
usual ruggedness  of  its  surroundings. 
Lime-rock  abounds  and  game,  both  large 
and  small,  is  very  numerous,  including 
the  grizzly  bear.  When  we  passed  this^ 
way  in  January,  1878,  Mr.  Lang,  of  Lang's 
Station,  close  ahead,  had  killed  one  or 
these  bears  that  weighed  900  pounds,  and 
Lang  called  it  a  small  one! 

JLang — is  a  small  station,  8.5  miles  be- 
low Ravena,  and  about  half-a-mile  west  of 
where  the  "  last  spike  "  was  driven,  Sept. 
5th,  1876,  that  united  the  line,  building  from 
Los  Angeles  and  San  Francisco.  The 
bottom,  below  the  station,  widens,  sand 
hills  and  sand  beds  appear,  as  well  as 
sheep,  on  the  adjoining  hills,  which  are 
now  lower,  with  grassy  sides;  and  13.1 
miles  from  Lang,  and  our  train  stops  at 

Neivhali —  a  small  station  named 
for. a  Mr.  JSTewhaJl,  who  owns  50,000  acres 
of  land  in  the  vicinity,  on  which  range 
thousands  of  cattle  and  sheep.  The  South- 
ern Hotel  with  accommodations  for  150 
guests,  a  beautiful  park,  and  a  planted  grove 
of  trees  are  among  the  late  improvements. 
Stages  leave  this  station  daily  for  Ven- 
tura, 50  miles;  Santa  Barbara,  80  miles;. 
San  Louis  Obispo,  190  miles ;  Paso-Robles- 
Hot  Springs,  220,  and  Soledad,  300  miles, 
at  the  end  of  the  Southern  Pacific  railroad,, 
in  Salinas  Valley,  as  noted  in  excursioa 
No.  5.  These  stages  carry  passengers,, 
mails  and  express. 

We  now  confront  the  San  Fernando- 
Mountains  on  the  south,  which  rise  up  be- 
fore us,  towering  to  the  skies,  in  one  great 
black  solid  mass,  apparently  presenting  an 
im  penetrable  barrier  to  our  further  progress. 
Such  was  the  case  until  the  engineers  or 
this  road,  failing  to  find  any  way  overthemy 
resolved  to  pierce  through  them^  which  was- 
done,  resulting  in  a  tunnel  6,967  feet  long,, 
built  in  a  straight  line  and  timbered  all  the 
way.  These  mountains,  as  stated,  are 
high,  rising  up  out  of  the  valley  fronx 


^20 


CROFUTT  S    NEW    OVERLAND    TOURIST 


^,500  to  3,000  feet,  but  narrow— a  huge 
-"  hog-back  "  ridge.  Leaving  Newhall,  it  is 
1 ,6  miles  to 

Andrews— To  the  west  of  this  station, 
about  four  miles,  are  located  teveral  oil 
wells,  in  a  region  said  to  be  very  rich  in 
oil.  Two  refineries  have  been  established 
at  this  station,  which  furnish  for  shipment 
about  one  car-load  per  day.  Live  oaks  and 
fcome  white  oaks  Ure  numerous  along  the 
road  and  on  the  sides  of  the  low-hills, 
for  the  last  fifteen  miles,  making  the 
country  look  more  cheerful  than  it  other- 
wise would. 

Leaving  Andrews,  we  soon  commence  to 
ascend,  passing  through  deep  cuts  to  the 

San  Fernando  Tunnel— This  tunnel, 
as  before  stated,  is  6,967  feet  in  length, 
timbered  all  the  way,  and  is  reached  from 
the  north  up  a  grade  of  116  feet  per  mile; 
grade  in  tunnel,  37  feet  per  mile ;  grade  be- 
^^ond  tunnel — south— for  five  miles,  106  feet 
per  mile ;  elevation  of  tunmel,  1,469  leet. 
The  view,  from  the  rear  end  of  the  car, 
while  passing  through  the  tunnel,  is  quite 
an  interesting  one. 

The  light,  on  entering  the  gre^t  bore,  is 
large  and  bright,  the  smooth  rails  glisten 
like  burnished  silver  in  the  sun's  rays. 
(Gradually  the  light  lessens  in  brilliancy; 
the  rails  become  two  long  ribbons  of  silver, 
sparkling  through  the  impenetrable  dark- 
ness; gradually  these  lessen,  the  light 
fades — and  fades,  and  fades — the  entrance 
is  apparently  not  larger  than  a  pin's  head, 
and  then  all  light  is  gone  and  darkness 
reigns  supreme — and  still  w^e  are  not 
through.  It  is  the  history  of  many  a  life : 
ihe  bright  hopes  of  youth  expire  with  age. 

As  we  emerge  from  the  tunnel,  the  valley 
of  San  Fernando  dawns  a  bright  vision  of 
beauty  upon  us.  Here  we  enter,  as  it  were, 
a  new  world  of  verdure  and  fruitfulness — a 
land  literally  "  flowing  with  milk  and 
Jioney."  From  the  tunnel  we  have  de- 
scended rapidly,  5.2  miles  to 

8an  Fernando— named  for  the 
famous  old  mission  of  San  Fernando,  lo- 
-cated  about  two  miles  to  the  right,  embow- 
ered in  lovely  groves  of  orange,  lemon  and 
olive  trees.  It  is  in  the  middle  of  the  valley 
of  the  same  name,  surrounded  by  moun- 
tain ranges.  The  San  Fernando  Moun- 
tains are  on  the  east  and  north,  the  Coast 
Hange  on  the  West,  and  the  Sierra  Santa 
Monica  on  the  west  and  south.  The 
.greater  portion  of  the  western  and  central 
part  of  the  valley  is  under  a  high  state  of 
<Jultivation,  but  the  eastern,  along  where 


our  road  is  built,  is  covered  with  sage- 
brush, cactus,  grease-wood,  small  cedars 
and  mesquite  shrubs. 

The  station  is  of  little  account— only  a 
few  buildings,  a  store,  hotel,  cattle  pen  and 
shutes  make  up  the  place.  Leaving  the 
station,  we  pass  groves  of  planted  trees ; 
those  on  the  right,  of  the  eucalypti  species. 

Sepulveda— is  the  next  station,  12.5 
miles  south  of  San  Fernando.  It  is  situated 
on  the  east  bank  of  Los  Angeles  River, 
where  passenger  trains  meet  and  pass. 
Continuing  along  down  the  valley — which 
now  begins  to  present  an  improved  appear- 
ance—-8.6  miles  we  come  to  East  Los 
Angeles. 

Lios  Angeles  Junction- is  sit- 
uated about  one  mile  east  of  the  city,  from 
which  streetcars  run  regularly;  fare,  10 
cents  or  four  tickets  for  25  certs.  The 
principal  hotels,  the  Pico  and  St.  Charles, 
charge  from  %'l  to  $3  per  day ;  the  United 
States  and  Lufayette  from  $1.50  to  $2.00,  all 
of  which  send  buses  to  the  depot,  on  ar- 
rival of  trains. 

JiOS  Angeles  I — Ah,  here  we  are  at 
the  "  City  of  the  Angels!"  Los  Angeles  is 
the  county  seat  of  Los  Angeles  county, 
situated  on  the  Los  Angeles  River,  24 
miles  north  from  the  port  of  San  Pedro ; 
but  the  principal  shipping  pomt  is  at 
Wilmington,  about  two  miles  above  San 
Pedro,  at  the  head  of  the  bay,  with  which 
it  is  connected  by  railroad  22  miles  dis- 
tant. It  is  also  connected  with  Santa 
Monica  by  rail,  18  miles  to  the  westward, 
where  steamers  land  from  up  and  down 
the  coast.  The  city  contains  a  population 
of  about  16,000— has  many  fine  business 
blocks,  three  banks,  several  large,  fine 
hotels,  chief  of  which  is  the  Pico.  The 
churches  and  schools  are  all  that  could 
be  desired,  both  in  numbers  and  quality. 
There  are  four  daily,  seven  weekly,  and 
a  number  of  miscellaneous  publications. 
The  dailies  are :  the  Star^  Express  Herald, 
and  the  BepuhUcan. 

Water  for  irrigation  in  the  city  is  sup- 
plied by  Los  Angeles  River,  and  by  wind- 
mills.  The  manufactories  are  not  very 
numerous,  the  shops  of  the  Railroad  Com- 
pany being  the  principal  ones.  The  town 
is  a  railroad  center,  commanding  an  ex- 
tensive trade  at  present,  and  in  the  future 
it  fears  no  rival.  It  is  already  connected 
with  Santa  Monica,  on  the  west,  18  miles; 
Wilmington,  on  the  south,  22  miles;  Santa 
Ana,  on  the  southeast,  33  miles ;  Yuma,  on 
the  east,  248  miles,  and  San  Francisco, 


AISTD    PACIFIC    COAST    GUIDE. 


221 


north,  4T0  miles,  Los 
Angeles  is  an  old  town, 
having  been  settled  iu 
1771.  It  is  located  at  the 
southern  base  of  the 
Sierra  Santa  Monica 
range  on  a  gradual 
slope,  and  is  completely 
embowered  in  foliage. 
The  vineyards,  in  and 
around  the  city,  are  very 
numerous ;  they  are  to  be 
seen  on  all  sides,  equaled 
only  by  the  number  of 
orange,  lemon,  and  fruit 
orchards.  It  is  really  a 
city  of  gardens  and 
groves.  Then,  as  one 
rides  to  the  westward, 
or  the  southward,  mag- 
nificent plantations 
stretch  away  as  far  as  the 
eye  can  reach.  Here  is 
the  wealth  of  the  tropics ; 
here  can  be  seen  the 
orange,  lemon,  lime, 
pomegranate,  fig,  and 
all  kinds  of  tropical  and 
semi-tropical  fruits,  at- 
taining to  the  greatest 
perfection ;  here  will  be 
seen  the  huge  palm-tree, 
the  banana,  the  beautiful 
Italian  and  Monterey 
cypress,  the  live  oak, 
pepper,  and  the  eucalyp- 
tus, as  well  as  the  orange 
trees    in    the    grounds    and 


YUCCA   PALM  OF  MOJAVA  DESERT. 


and  lemon 
parks,  gar- 
dens and  lawns,  of  almost  every  citizen's 
residence.  One  orchard — situated  in 
the  heart  of  the  city,  the  "  Wolfkill  "—con- 
tains 100  acres.  1  n  this  orchard  are  2,600 
orange  trees,  1,000  lime,  and  1,800  lemon 
trees;  besides,  there  are  adjoining  100 
acres  in  vineyard.  But  why  particularize  ? 
Look  where  you  will,  and  you  will  see 
vineyards  and  orchards  laden  with  luscious 
fruits,  and  will  be  ready  to  exclaim: 
''Why,  oh,  why  was  'mother  Eve' 
driven  out?" 

Leaving  Los  Angeles,  we  will  take  the 
cars  on  the 

Los  Angeles  and  Independence  Rail- 
road— under  the  management  of  the 
*  Central "  Company,  of  which  Mr.  E.  E. 
Hewett  18  ABB^t  Superintendent,  and 
speed  away  to  the  westward.  The  first 
few  miles  is  through  the  edge  of  the  city, 
and  then  past  a  succession  of  vineyards. 


See  page  217. 

orange  and  fruit  orchards,  nurseries  and 
groves  of  planted  trees.  Then  come 
broad  fields  and  pretty  little  farm-houses; 
then  through  a  succession  of  deep  sand 
cuts,  and  the  broad  ocean  appears,  and  then 
ISanta  Monica— called  by  some 
the  "  Long  Branch  of  the  Pacific  Coast." 
It  is  certainly  a  beautiful  location,  and  if 
it  does  not  attain  the  same  popularity  as 
its  namesake,  on  the  Jersey  shore,  it  will 
not  be  for  lack  of  natural  aavantages.  Its 
location  is  one  of  surpassing  loveliness — 
in  front  the  Pacific  Ocean ;  in  the  back- 

f round  the  noble  range  of  the  Sierra 
[adre.  Far  out  to  the  seaward  looms  up 
mistily  the  island  of  Catalina.  The  facili- 
ties for  bathing  could  hardly  be  better. 
The  beach  is  fine,  the  sand  hard  and 
smooth,  and  the  slope  gradual,  with  no 
terrors  of  undertow  to  appal  timid  swim- 
mers. The  place  is  protected  from  cold 
winds  hy  a  prominent  head-land,  and  the 
climate  is  very  equable. 


222 


CROFUTT  S    NEW   OVERLAND    TOURIST 


The  following  table  shows  the  mean  tem- 
perature of  January  and  July  in  Califor- 
nia  and  other  States  and  countries,  taken 
from  reliable  sources: 


Place. 


San  Francisco. 

Monterey 

Santa  Barbara  . 
Los  Angeles  ... 
Santa  Monica.. 
San  Diego  — 
Sacramento.... 
Humboldt  Bay. 

Sonoma 

Vallejo 

Fort  Yuma 

Cincinnati 

New  York 

New  Orleans... 

Naples 

Honolulu 

Mexico 

London  

Bordeaux ...  .. 

Mentone 

Marseilles 

Genoa 


Jan'y 

July. 

Differ-  1 
ence. 

"If 

52 

Dege 

Degre 
8 
6 

5 

54 

7 

17 

5v 

7> 

23 

52 

69 

17 

51 

72 

21 

45 

73 

28 

40 

58 

18 

45 

66 

21 

48 

67 

19 

56 

92 

86 

30 

74 

44 

31 

77 

42 

55 

82 

27 

46 

76 

80 

71 

78 

7 

52 

65 

13 

87 

62 

25 

41 

73 

32 

40 

73 

33 

43 

75 

82 

46 

77 

31 

Latitude 


Deg.  min. 
37       48 
36 
84 


40 


It  will  be  seen  by  referring  to  the  above 
table  that  Southern  California  possesses  a 
climate  unexcelled  in  equability  by  any 
portion  of  the  world,  and  of  the  happiest 
medium  between  the  extremes  of  heat  and 
cold.  Santa  Monica  has  these  advantages 
of  temperature  in  a  special  degree,  the  air 
being  modified  by  the  ocean  to  a  point 
most  agreeable-  and  invigorating,  both  to 
the  pleasure-seeker  and  the  invalid. 

The  bathing  house,  situated  on  the  beach, 
about  fifty  feet  above  the  water,  is  the 
finest  on  the  coast.  It  is  a  large  building, 
supplied  with  baths  of  all  kinds,  where  the 
bathers  have  within  reach,  faucets  by  which 
a  supply  of  either  fresh  or  salt  water,  hot 
or  cold,  can  be  instantly  obtained  by  the 
efibrt  of  turning  them  on.  Here,  too,  are 
steam,  swimming,  and  plunge  baths,  be- 
sides the  ordinary  ocean  baths,  accommo- 
dations for  which  ample  provision  is  made. 

Santa  Monica  was  first  laid  out  as  a  town 
in  1S75,  and  in  two  years  attained  a  popu- 
lation of  800.  It  has  some  good  stores,  and 
quite  a  number  of  good  hotels,  chief  of 
which  are  the  Santa  Monica  Hotel,  and 
Ocean  House ;  the  latter  has  accommoda- 
tions for  about  50  guc.-ts,  and  the  former 
for  125.  These  houses  are  so  situated  as  to 
command  a  most  extensive  view.  Their 
charges  are  from  $12  to  $18  per  week. 
Santa  Monica  had  its  newspaper  once 
— the    Outlook— \>\xi   we    hear    it   has 


moTed,  and  is  now  a  Look-out  at  Ana-  • 
helm. 

Point  Dumas,  a  prominent  head-land  to- 
the  northwest,  is  13  miles  distant.  Point 
Vincent,  to  the  southwest,  is  20  miles 
distant.  Santa  Rosa  Island,  west,  is  91 
miles  distant;  Santa  Barbara  Island,  south 
of  west,  is  25  miles  distant;  San  Nicholas 
Island,  37  miles  in  the  same  direction,  and 
Santa  Catalina  Island,  south,  is  about  40 
miles  distant.  These  islands  are  a  great 
protection  to  Santa  Monica  from  the  wrf.th 
of  old  Pacific,  when  he  becomes  excited. 

The  wharf,  which  was  built  from  the 
end  of  the  railroad  to  deep  water,  affording 
a  landing  for  coast  steamers,  was  destroyed 
in  1878,  but  we  presume  will  be  rebuilt. 

In  the  range  of  the  mountains  on  the 
north,  game  of  many  varieties  can  be 
found,  and  in  the  lagoons  south  of  the 
town,  ducks,  geese,  snipe,  curlews,  and 
otlier  varieties  of  game  are  abundant. 

The  drives  are  very  fine,  being  along  the 
beach  for  many  miles,  and  then,  on  the 
high  plateau  500  feet  above,  extending  for 
many  miles,  affording  a  most  extended 
view ;  or,  up  to  the  natural  springs  on  the 
side  of  the  mountain,  which  furnish  the 
town  with  water,  bubbling  up  like  a 
fountain,  and  is  caught  in  a  large  basin  or 
pond,  for  city  use. 

A  popular  excursion  is  up  Santa  Mo- 
nica Canyon  to  Manville  Glen^a  wild, 
rugged  mountain-place  covered  with  old 
forest  trees,  down  which  ripples  one  of  the 
neatest  little  brooks  imaginable.  The 
point  of  the  mountain  above  has  become  a 
very  popular  camping  giound,  where 
camps  are  made,  and  parties  spend  months 
ill  rambling  over  the  mountains  and  en- 
joying the  ocean  baths,  etc. 


'^ 


here  are  some  beautiful  countjy  resi- 
dences about  Santa  Monica,  among  which 
is  one  of  Senator  Jones,  of  Nevada. 
Returning  to  L(^  Angeles,  we  take  the 
Wilmington  Division — and  start  di- 
rectly south  tiirough  a  succession  of  vine- 
yards, gardens,  orange  and  fiuit  orchards, 
to  Florence,  six  miles  from  Los  Angeles. 
At  this  station  the  ti-ack  of  the  San  Diego 
Division  branches  off  to  the  left.  But  we 
continue  south,  through  broad,  well-culti- 
vated fields,  where  the  good  eftects  of  irri- 
gation are  shown,  by  large  crops  of  vege- 
tables, which  abound  in  the  tection  we  are 
now  traversing.  Gradually  the  rich  soil 
gives  place  to  alkaline  and  salt  flats,  and 
sloughs,  with  occasionally  a  few  bands  of 
bhi  ep  on  the  more  elevated  lands. 


AND    PACIFIC   COAST   GUIDE. 


223 


About  two  miles  before  reaching  Wil- 
mington, we  pass,  on  the  right,  embowered 
in  trees,  the  old  headquarters  of  the  Mili- 
tary Department,  of  Southern  California 
and  Arizona,  abandoned  in  1870.  When 
the  Government  had  no  further  use  for  the 
property  it  was  sold,  and  is  now  used  by  the 
Protestants,  and  called  Wilson's  College. 

Wilmington  contains  a  population  of 
about  500,  most  of  whom  are  engaged  in 
the  shipping  interests.  At  the  long  wharf 
are  great  warehouses,  beside  which,  vessels 
drawing  twelve  feet  of  water,  can  lay  and 
load  and  unload  from  and  into  the  cars 
of  the  railroad,  which  run  the  whole 
length  of  the  wharf.  Vessels  drawing 
15  feet  of  water  can  cross  the  bar,  two 
miles  below,  but  are  unable  to  reach  the 
wharf,  and  are  unloaded  two  miles  below. 

Inside  the  bar  is  a  ship  channel,  per- 
fectly sheltered,  several  miles  in  length, 
with  a  width  of  from  400  to  500  feet,  and  a 
depth,  at  low  tide,  of  from  20  to  25  feet, 
shoaling  at  its  head  to  12  feet. 

The  Government  has  expended  over  half  a 
million  of  dollars  to  improve  the  harbor  at 
this  place;  the  breakwater  is  6,700  feet 
long,  and  when  completed,  it  will  be  of 
incalculable  advantage  to  the  people  of 
this  section  of  country. 

Wilmington  is  a  point  where  immense 


quantities  of  ties  and  redwood  lumber  are 
landed  from  the  Humboldt  Bay  country, 
200  miles  north  of  San  Francisco,  on  the 
coast,  and  also  where  are  landed  large 
quantities  of  coal  from  the  Liverpool  ves- 
sels that  come  here  to  load  with  grain.  The 
coal  is  brought  for  ballast,  more  than  for 
profit. 

Rattlesnake  Island  is  in  front  of  the  har- 
bor— sand  principally  San  Pedro  Point 
is  two  miles  south,  and  Point  Fermin, 
around  that  point  to  the  west,  reached  by 
wagon-road  around  the  beach  or  over  the 
bluffs,  six  miles  distant.  Deadman's 
Island  is  a  small,isolated  rocky  peak,  where 
commences  the  breakwater  improvement 
below  Point  Pedro. 

Fermin  Point  is  on  the  most  prominent 
headland  on  the  west,  surmounted  with  a 
light  of  the  first  order,  [which  is  kept  by 
two  ladies.]  Near  this  point,  in  stone^  is 
the  subject  of  our  illustration,  below, 
called  San  Pedro's  Wife  or  the  "  Woman 
OF  THE  Period." 

The  distance  from  Wilmington  by 
steamer  to  San  Francisco  is  387  miles ;  to 
San  Diego,  95  miles;  to  Santa  Catalina 
Island,  20  miles.  This  Island  is  owned  by 
the  Lick  estate,  is  35  miles  long  and  ten 
wide,  on  which  are  some  gold  mines,  and 
great  numbers  of  sheep  and  goats. 


SAN  Pedro's  wife  or,  the  woman  of  the  period. 


224 


CROFUTT  S    NEW    OVERLAND    TOUKIST 


\ 


The  Island  San  Clemente  is  30  miles 
further,  a  lon^,  narrow  strip  of  land,  on 
which  there  is  no  water,  where  range 
thousands  of  sheep  and  goats,  which  seem 
to  thrive  better  than  on  Santa  Catalina 
Island,  where  water  is  abundant. 

Returning  again  to  Los  Angeles,  we 
start  over  the 

l^an  I>iego  DiTision. 

Leaving  Los  Angeles,  the  course  is  the 
same  as  over  the  Wilmington  route  to 
Florence,  six  miles  south,  vhere  our  route 
turns  to  the  left. 

Leaving  Florence,  we  cross  the  Los 
Angeles  River,  along  which  are  some  broad, 
rich  bottom  lands,  passing  large  groves  of 
eucalyptus  trees,  and  5.5  further  come  to 

Downey — This  is  a  thrifty  town  of 
agriculturalists,  about  500  in  number,  with 
some  good  buildings.  The  Central  Hotel 
is  the  principal  hotel.  The  country  is  flat, 
and  vineyards  and  orange  orchards  are  to 
be  seen  at  different  places,  over  which 
the  waters  of  San  Gabriel  River  are  con- 
ducted in  numerous  canals  and  ditches 

Leaving  the  station,  we  soon  cross  San 
Gabriel  River,  note  the  existence  of  many 
sycamore  trees,  some  oaks  and  many 
"  Gum-trees,"  and  four  miles  are  at 

NoRWALK— This  is  a  new  station,  in  the 
center  of  a  broad  fertile  valley,  with  only 
the  smaller  portion  under  cultivation  Con- 
tinuing on,  over  a  grassy  plain,  where  are 
a  few  trees,  and  a  few  alkali  beds,  we  pass 
Costa,  6.3  miles  from  Korwalk,  and  roll 
along  through  an  improving  country  The 
La  Puente  Hills  are  on  our  left,  beyond 
which  rise  the  San  Gabriel  Mountains. 
From  Costa  it  is  8.6  miles  to 

Anaheim — Here  we  are  at  a  live  town  of 
1,500  population,  which,  from  the  car  win- 
dows, presents  a  beautiful  appearance,  with 
its  long  1  ows  of  trees  and  beautiful  fields. 
A  run  through  the  town  will  reveal  the 
fact  that  it  contains  many  fine  buildings, 
some  of  which  are  devoted  to  merchandis- 
ing, besides  good  churches,  fine  schools,  two 
good  hotels — the  Planters  and  the  Anaheim, 
and  one  newspaper— the  Gazette.  The  town 
is  embowered  in  foliage ;  tall  poplar  trees, 
cypress,  eucalyptus,  orange,  pepper,  castor 
bean,  palm  and  many  other  trees  are 
among  the  number  seen  everywhere. 

Here  we  find  extensive  irrigating  canals 
and  a  complete  netrwork  of  ditches,  con- 
ducting the  water  through  the  streets  and 
over  the  grounds  in  all  directions,  A  great 
number   of    the   private    residences   arc 


painted  white,  (not  a  very  common  thing 
in  California,)  and  look  very  cheerful. 
Leaving  Anaheim,  we  cross  a  sandy  bot- 
tom, and  then  Santa  Anna  River,  over  a 
long  bridge,  pass  Orange,  a  small  hamlet 
on  the  left — where  is  a  grove  of  planted 
trees — and  4.9  miles  from  Anahiem,  and  two 
miles  further  come  to 

Santa  Ana — This  town  is  33.3  miles 
southeast  of  Los  Angeles,  and  about  half  a 
mile  west  of  the  depot,  where  is  now  the 
end  of  the  road,  and  where  a  town  is  being, 
laid  off,  called  East  Santa  Ana.  Santa 
Ana  is  situated  about  one  and  half  miles 
south  of  Santa  Anna  River,  and  like  Ana- 
heim, is  embowered  in  trees  and  sur- 
rounded by  vineyards,  orchards  and  the 
best  of  land,  under  a  high  state  of  cultiva- 
tion. There  are  some  large  stores  in  the 
town  and  good  brick  buildings,  several  fine 
churches,  good  schools,  three  hotels — chief 
of  which  IS  the  Santa  Ana  Hotel — one 
daily  and  two  weekly  newspapers;  the 
News  and  the  Times  are  weekly,  and  the 
Free  Lance  is  a  small,  live  daily. 

Newport  Landing  is  eight  miles  west  of 
Santa  Ana,  where  most  of  the  steamers 
call,  on  their  way  up  and  down  the  coast. 
A  good  wagon  road  leads  from  Santa  Ana 
to  the  Landing,  and  also  extends  eastward 
to  San  Bernardino,  40  miles  distant.  The 
road  was  built  by  the  counties  of  Los 
Angeles  and  San  Bernardino. 

The  new  Black  Star  coal  mines  are  sit- 
uated about  twelve  miles  northeast,  and  are 
said  to  be  extensive  and  the  coal  of  good 
quality.  To  the  east  is  the  high  range  of 
the  Sierra  De  Santa  Anna  Mountains,  on 
the  eastern  slope  of  which  are  located  the 
Temescal  Tin  mines. 

Some  of  the  lands  surrounding  Santa 
Ana  and  to  the  south  and  west  for  many 
miles,  called  "  safe  lands,"  will  raise  a  good 
crop  without  irrigating,  but  the  greater 
portion  requires  the  water — to  supply  which 
a  company  is  now  engaged  building  a  canal 
to  take  the  waters  of  the  Santa  Anna  River 
away  to  the  eastward.  The  canal  will  be 
18  miles  long,  and  will  furnish  ample 
water  for  20,000  acres  of  land. 

Stages  leave  Santa  Ana  daily  for  San  Juan 
Capistrano,  southeast  24  miles ;  fare  $2.50 ; 
San  Louis  Rey,  65  miles ;  fare,  $5.00;  also 
to  San  Diego,  100  miles,  and  all  inter- 
mediate  points. 

San  Diego — As  this  is  reached  from 
Santa  Ana,  the  nearest  point  by  rail  and 
stage,  it  seems  to  be  the  proper  place  for  a 
short  description  of  the  town.    San  Diego 


AND    PACIFIC    COAST   GUIDE. 


225 


was  first  settled  by  the  Jesuit  missionaries, 
in  1769,  and  is  tlie  oldest  town  in  the  State. 
It  is  a  port  of  entry,  and  the  county  seat  of 
San  Diego  county.  It  is  situated  on  San 
Diego  Bay,  which,  for  its  size,  is  the  most 
sheltered,  most  secure  and  finest  harbor  in 
the  world.  The  bay  is  12  miles  long  and 
two  miles  wide,  with  never  less  than  30  feet 
of  water  at  low  tide,  and  a  good,  sandy  bot- 
tom. By  act  of  Congress,  it  is  the  western 
terminus  of  the  Texas  &  Pacific  railroad,  but 
wlien  that  road  will  be  built,  if  ever,  is  a 
problem,  the  solution  of  which,  all  the 
citizens  of  San  Diego,  about  5,000  in  num- 
ber, are  exceedingly  anxious  to  have 
demonstrated,  and  there  is  little  question  but 
what  they  would  all  elect  to  have  it  built 
without  delay.  The  city  is  connected  by 
steamer  with  San  Francisco,  456  miles 
north,  and  by  stage  to  all  inland  towns.  It 
is  14  miles  north  of  the  dividing  line  be- 
tween Upper  and  Lower  California,  and  is 
destined  to  make  a  city  of  great  importance. 
Tropical  fruit  of  every  variety  is  produced 
in  the  county,  and  the  climate  is  one  of  the 
finest  in  the  world,  the  thermometer  never 
falling  below  40  deg.  in  the  winter,  or 
rising  above  80  deg.  ia  the  summer.  The 
country  is  well  timbered  and  well  watered, 
producing  large  crops  of  all  kinds  of  grain, 
fruit  and  vegetables.  Gold,  silver  and  tin 
ores  have  recently  been  discovered,  which 
promise  at  this  time  to  be  very  extensive 
and  profitable.  Several  quartz  mills  have 
been  erected.  Two  weekfy  papers  are  pub- 
lished at  San  Diego — the  World  and  Union. 
San  Juan  Capistrano,  is  a  quiet,  sleepy, 
conservative  old  town,  twenty-four  miles 
from  Santa  Ana,  situated  in  the  center  of  a 
beautiful  little  valley,  hemmed  in  on  three 
sides,  in  a  variegated  frame-work  of 
emerald  hills,  with  the  broad  Pacific 
Ocean  on  the  west,  gleaming  like  a  mirror 
at  mid-day,  and  glowing  like  a  floor  of 
burnished  gold  at  sunset:  Here  is  located 
the  old  mission,  which  gave  its  name  to 
the  town.  It  was  founded  in  1776,  and  is 
situated  on  an  eminence,  commanding  a 
view  of  the  surroiinding  country,  with  ex- 
tensive orchards  of  orange,  lemon,  olive 
and  other  trees,  planted  nearly  100  years 
ago,  which  continue  to  bear  abundantly. 
To  the  south  of  the  town  is  the  Rancho  Boca 
de  la  Playa,  of  7,000  acres ;  Rancho  Neguil, 
of  12,000  acres,  and  the  Rancho  Mission 
Viejo,  on  the  east,  of  46,000  acres.  These 
ranchos  include  a  great  deal  of  good  agricul- 
tural land,  but  now  the  greater  portion  is 
used  for  pasturage. 


Gospel  Swamp — This  singularly  pro. 
ductive  region  is  situated  a  few  miles  north 
of  west  from  Santa  Ana,  the  soil  of  which  is 
very  similar  to  that  about  the  "Mussel 
Slough"  and  Lake  Tulare,  heretofore  noted. 
The  soil  is  wholly  composed  of  the  richest 
sedimentary  deposit,  the  decomposition  of 
vegetable  matter  that  has  been  going  on 
since  the  creation  of  the  world.  In  this 
section,  all  kinds  of  vegetables  attain  im. 
mense  proportions,  so  large  that  we  dare  not 
give  the  figures.  This  isthe  pumpkin's  Aom«. 
Pumpkins  weighing  320  to  340  lbs.  are  not 
uncommon  in  this  region.  A  single  vine 
produced  in  1877, 1,400  lbs.  of  pumpkins 
without  any  further  care  than  putting  the 
seed  in  the  ground— and  it  was  a  poor  year 
for  pumpkins  at  that.  Corn  is  the  prmci- 
pal  crop,  in  gathering  which  they  find 
much  diflSculty,  owing  to  the  height  of  the 
stalks.  If  some  enterprising  Yankee 
would  invent  a  portable  elevator  with  a 
graduated  seat  and  revolving  buckets  for 
holding  the  ears  of  corn,  he  could  find  in 
this  section  an  extensive  field  in  which  to 
operate. 

Returning  once  more  to  Los  Angeles, 
and  for  the  l^st  fime,  we  take  our  old  seat, 
and  start  for  Sunrise,  at  Yuma.  See 
Time  Table, 

Leaving  Los  Angeles,  our  course  is 
south  about  one  mile— on  the  track  we 
have  been  over  several  times— then  to  the 
left,  and  finally  due  east,  crossing  the 
Los  Angeles  River,  just  beyond  which  is 
the  80-acre  vineyard  of  Mr.  Sabichi,  and 
follow  up  a  little  valley.  On  the  right 
are  low,  rolling  grass-covered  hills,  around 
which  are  many  little  cottages  nestling 
cosily  beneath  a  wreath  of  foliage,  consist- 
ing of  orange  and  other  fruit-trees.  We 
are  now  on  an  ascending  grade,  and  shall 
continue  to  be,  for  the  next  80  miles. 

To  the  left,  about  four  miles,  is  located 

Pasadena — (Key  of  the  Valley) — quite 
commonly  known  as  the  "  Indiana  Colony," 
a  new  and  beautiful  settlement  northeast 
from  Los  Angeles  about  seven  miles,  and 
three  miles  from  the  old  mission  of  San 
Gabriel.  •  Five  years  ago  this  position  was 
occupied  only  by  the  one  adobe  house  of 
a  Spaniard,  Garfias,  who  once  owned  the 
ranche.  A  company  of  eastern  men,  largely 
from  Indiana,  purchased  the  tract,  with  an 
abundant  water  privilege  arising  in  the 
Arroyo  Seco  Canyon,  and  nearly  every  one 
of  the  sub-divided  tracts  of  7^,  15  or  30 
acres  each  was  taken  within  a  year  by 
actual  settlers,  and  these,  almost  without 


226 


CROFUTT  S  NEW  OVERLAND  TOURIST 


exception,easternfamilies  of  the  high- 
est class  and  of  comfortable  means. 
Young  orange  orchards,  just  com- 
mencing to  bear,  now  form  the  princi- 
pal feature  of  the  town ;  its  abundant 
mountain  water  is  distributed  to  hy- 
drants, bath-rooms  and  fountains  in 
and  about  each  house ;  the  dry-bed  of 
the  Arroyo,  on  its  western  edge,  fur- 
nishes abundant  wood;  the  Sierra 
Madra  or  San  Fernando  range  bounds 
and  guards  its  northern  side,  and  its 
site  overlooks  the  whole  San  Gabriel 
yalley. 

The  Lake  Vineyard  Ass'n  has  more 
recently  opened  up  a  fine  tract,  bor- 
dering Pasadena  on  the  east,  and  the 
two  settlements,  now  blending  into 
one,  have  some  seventy  houses,  many 
of  them  very  handsome,  a  Presbyteri- 
an and  aMethodistchurchjtwo  school 
houses, stores,  shops  and  a  daily  mail. 
Not  alone  those  who  have  their  pretty 
homes  and  orange  groves  there  think 
it  the  most  desirable  of  all  California's 
delightful  spots,  but  unprejudiced 
travelers,  who  have  seen  the  whole,ac- 
knowledge  that  here,  indeed,  as  its 
Spanish  name  asserts,isthe"fcet/o/</ie 
valley"  and  that  valley  the  far-famed 
and  Eden  like  San  Gabriel. 

In  visiting  the  orange  groves  and  old 
Mission  Church  of  this  locality  it  will 
more  than  pay  to  turn  aside  the  two 
or  three  miles  necessary  in  order  to 
see  Pasadena  and  Lake  Vineyard. 

To  the  right,  before  reaching  the 
next  station,  several  huge  palm  trees 
can  be  seen,  like  those  shown  on  the 


foreground  of  our  illustration,on  page 
10.  They  are  the /an  palm,great  numb- 
ers of  which  are  to  be  seen  on  our  route 
hereafter. 

Passing  up  through  the  little  valley, 
9.2  miles  from  LosAngeles, we  come  to 

$$an  Gabriel— The  station  is  on  a 
broad  plateau  gently  sloping  from  the 
mou  ntains  on  the  left.  Far  to  the  right, 
away  down  on  the  San  Gabriel  River, 
embowered  in  all  kinds  of  fruit  trees, 
and  surrounded  by  vineyards,  is  the 
old, Old  San  Gabriel  Mission,  founded 
Sept.  8, 1771.  All  the  old  missions  in 
California— twenty-one  in  number— 
were  founded  by  members  of  the  Ord- 
er of  SanFranciscOjWho  were  sent  out 
by  the  college  of  San  Fernando,  in  the 
City  of  Mexico,who  were  of  the  order 
of  Franciscan  Friars.  The  orange  or- 
chard at  the  Mission  was  the  first 
planted,  as  the  Mission  was  the  first 
founded  in  California  by  the  old  Pad- 
res. Some  of  the  trees  are  very  large, 
and  continue  to  bear  the  best  of  fruit. 
The  "Wolf kill"  orchard  in  LosAngeles 
is  the  next  in  age,  and  the  second  in 
size.  To  the  north  of  this  station,  tw^o 
miles  distant,  is  situated  the 

Largest  Orange  Orchard  in  Cali- 
fornia—It  is  owned  by  L.  J.Rose,Esq., 
and  contains  500  acres.  In  this  orchard 
are  orange  trees  of  all  sizes,  loaded 
with  fruit  the  year  round.  Besides 
oranges,  great  numbers  of  lemon, 
lime,  almond,  English  walnut,  and 
many  other  varieties  of  fruits  and 
nuts  are  raised  here  to  the  greatest 
perfection.     Pomegranates,  5,000   i]^ 


Ko.  33  Annex.  California— was  first  dis- 
■covered  in  1542,  by  a  Portuguese,  Juan  R.  Cab- 
rillo,  while  in  the  Spanish  service.  It  was  held 
by  the  Spanish  then  by  the  Mexican  Govern- 
ment, until  1848,  when  by  treaty  it  became  a 
portion  of  the  United  States,  It  was  admitted 
as  a  State  in  1850.  It  covers  an  area  of  160,000 
square  miles,  divided  about  equally  into  mining, 
agricultural,  timber,  and  grazing  lands.  All 
kinds  of  grain,  fruit,  and  vegetables  grow  in  pro- 
fusion. The  grape  culture  has  occupied  the  atten- 
tion of  many  of  her  people,who  find  that  they  can 
produce  wine  surijassed  by  none  in  this  country, 
and  few  in  the  old.  Large  quantities  are  used 
throughotit  the  United  States,  with  a  yearly  in- 
creased shipment  to  European  markets.  Her 
manufactures  are  of  a  high  order,  and  attract 
favorable  notice  at  home  and  abroad.  The  spirit 
of  enterprise  manifested  by  her  citizens  has  de- 
served and  won  success.  Under  the  liberal,  far- 
seeing  policy  of  the  younger  class  of  capitalists 
and  merchants,  who  appeared  about  the  time  of 
tiha  iiiaiicui'ation  of  the  great  railroad,  a  new 
crderof^iugs  arose.  Men  began  to  regard  this 
iaud  as  their  future  home. 


From  this  time,  money  expanded,  trade,  agric- 
ulture, mining  and  manufactures  began  to  as- 
sume their  proper  stations,  and  a  brighter  era 
opened  to  the  people  of  the  Pacific  slope. 

The  Coast  Range— is  the  range  of  moun- 
tains nearest  the  Pacific  Ocean,  extending  the 
whole  length  of  the  State,  broken  at  intervals 
with  numerous  small  rivers,  and  narrow,  fertile 
valleys.  The  principal  peaks  are — Mt.  BaHelry, 
6,3o7  feet  high ;  Pierce,  6,000 ;  Hamilton,  4,450 ; 
Diablo,  3,876  ;  Banch,  3,790  ;  Chonal,  3,530 ;  St. 
Helena,  3,700 ;  Tamalpais,  2,604  feet.  Mount  St. 
Bernardino,  away  to  the  southward,  in  the  range 
of  that  name,  is  8,370  feet  in  height. 

The  Rainy  Season — on  the  Pacific  coast  is 
between  the  first  of  November  and  the  first  of 
May,  the  rain  falling  principally  in  the  night, 
while  the  days  are  mostly  clear  and  pleasant.  At 
Christmas,  the  whole  country  is  covered  with 
green  grass ;  in  January  with  a  carpet  of  flowers : 
and  in  April  and  May  with  ripening  fields  of 
grain.  During  15  years  of  observation  the  aver- 
age has  been  220  clear,  85  cloudy,  and  60  rainy 
days  each  year.  The  nights  are  cool  the  year 
round,  requiring  a  coverlid. 


MOUNT  SHASTA,  SACRAMENTO  VA 


f ,  CALIFORNIA,  (See  Ajinex  No.  43^.) 


as.) 


*••  •  ••  •   •••  t   ,     •  •      •  •< 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  OTHDE. 


227 


number,  are  growing  here,  planted  by  Gen. 
Stoneman, 

The  town  of  San  Gabriel  is  located  about 
one  and  a  half  miles  north  of  the  station, 
and  is  completely  embowered  in  foliage, 
among  which  are  all  the  varieties  of  orna- 
mental trees,  fruit  trees,  vines,  and  flowers, 
grown  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  the  citizens 
seemingly  having  taken  great  pains,  to 
procure  some  of  every  kind  of  tree  and 
shrub,  with  which  to  beautify  their  other- 
wise beautiful  town. 

We  have  referred  to  the  old,  Old  Mis- 
sion, now  we  will  refer  to  the  Old  Mission 
Church,  which  is  located  close  on  our  left, 
just  before  reaching  this  station.  It  is  in  a 
dilapidated  condition,  but  the  bells  are 
still  hanging  in  plain  view  from  the  cars, 
which  were  wont  to  call  the  faithful  to 
their  devotions,  long  before  the  *'  blarsted 
Yankees"  invaded  the  country. 

The  Sierra  Madre  Villa  is  a  finely  ap- 
pointed hotel,  situated  about  three  miles 
from  the  station,  away  up  on  the  foot-hills 
1,800  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  It  is 
in  a  most  beautiful  location,  overlooking 
the  whole  valley  of  Los  Angeles,  Santa 
Monica  and  Wilmington,  with  thousands 
of  acres  in  orange  and  fruit  orchards,  and 
in  vineyards,  in  the  foreground,  and  in  the 
rear  the  towering  mountains.  From 
springs  in  these  mountains  the  sparkling 
waters  are  conducted  in  pipes,  and  com- 
pelled to  do  duty  in  the  fountains  in  front 
of  the  Villa,  in  every  room  in  the  house, 
and  for  irrigating  3,000  orange,  lemon,  and 
other  fruit  trees  adjoining  the  hotel.  This 
is  a  lovely  place  to  sojourn — if  not  foret&r, 
certainly  for  a  season.  At  this  Villa  is  the 
best  of  accommodation  for  about  50  guests, 
at  charges  from  |12  to  $15  per  week. 

Close  to  the  station,  on  the  left,  the  tour- 
ist will  find  a  variety  of  cactus  not  hereto- 
fore seen  on  this  route.  There  are  over 
two  hundred  varieties — so  we  are  told— of 
these  cactus  plants.  The  ones  at  this 
station  grow  about  ten  feet  high,  and  are 
of  the  pad  species,  i.  6.,  they  grow,  com- 
mencing at  the  ground,  in  a  succession  of 
great  pads,  from  eight  inches  in  width  to 
fifteen  inches  in  length,  and  from  one  to 
•  three  inches  in  thickness.  These  pads  are 
covered  with  sharp  thorns,  and  grow  one 
upon  the  other,  connected  by  a  tough  stem, 
round,  and  about  two  inches  in  diameter. 
These  cacti  bear  a  kind  of  fruit  of  a 
pleasant  flavor,  which  is  used  principally 
by  the  Indians  or  Spanish-Mexican  resi- 
dents. 

15 


From  San  Gabriel,  we  continue  up  the 
plateau,  with  the  valley  of  San  Gabriel 
River  on  the  right,  2.5  miles  to 

f^avanna — where  are  well-cultivated 
fields,  groves  and  vineyards.  Passing  on 
1.4  miles  further  is 

Monte — This  is  a  thriving  town  of 
several  hundred  families  in  the  most  pro- 
ductive portion  of  San  Gabriel  Valley. 
Here  corn  and  hogs  are  the  staples,  and 
hog  and  hominy  the  diet.  The  settlers 
raise  immense  fields  of  corn,  and  feed 
great  numbers  of  hogs  for  market — in  fact, 
this  is  the  most  hogish  section  yet  visited, 
but  we  suppose  the  Monte  men  would 
bristle  up  if  they  were  told  so. 

Passing  on,  more  to  the  southward,  we 
soon  cross  San  Gabriel  River,  which  here 
has  a  broad,  sandy  bed.  Sheep  are  raised 
in  great  numbers  in  thi^  and  the  section 
of  country  traversed  for  the  next  50  miles. 

Puente — is  the  next  station,  6.2  miles 
from  Monte,  where  trains  only  stop  on 
signal.  It  is  situated  on  the  east  bank  of 
San  Jose  Creek,  beyond  which  and  the 
west  is  the  La  Puente  Hills.  Most  of  the 
bottom  land  is  fenced  and  cultivated,  the 
settlers  being  mostly  Spanish  or  Mexicans. 

Coursing  around  to  the  left,  up  San 
Jose  Creek,  along  which  will  be  found 
many  Mexican  houses  and  herds  of  sheep, 
ten  miles  brings  our  train  to 

Spadra— elevation  706  feet.  This  is  a 
smau  place  of  a  score  or  more  of  dwell- 
ings, several  stores,  and  one  hotel,  and  is 
the  home  of  an  old  Missouri  gentleman, 
familiarly  called  Uncle  Billy  Kubottom, 
whose  house  is  in  a  grove  mst  opposite 
the  station  on  the  right,  a  few  hundred 
yards  from  the  depot.  He  has  lived  here 
near  30  years,  and  keeps  "open  house" 
for  all  his  friends,  in  real  old  Southern 
style.  He  can  often  be  seen  at  the  depot 
mounted  on  his  mustang,  under  a  sombrero, 
something  smaller  than  a  circus  tent,  ana 
as  happy  as  a  bevj^  of  New  England  girls 
would  be  in  a  Los  Angeles  orange  orchard. 

Passing  on  up  the  creek,  which  k 
gradually  dwindling,  beyond  which  are  a 
succession  of  buttes,  or  low,  grass-covered 
hills,  3.5  miles  brings  us  to 

Pomona— This  is  a  promising  little 
town  of  about  600,  with  some  goodbuild- 
ings.  Garcy  avenue — the  principal  one — 
is  planted  on  each  side,  with  Monterey 
cypress  and  eucalyptus  trees,  and  presents 
a  beautiful  appearance.  Four  artesian 
wells  supply  the  town  with  water,  and  for 
irrigating    purposes,   these    wells    range 


228 


CROFUTT'8  NEW  OVERL^VND  TOURIST 


from  26  to  65  feet  in  depth,  and  flow  an 
immense  amount  of  water,  which  is  as 
pure  as  crystal.  A  reservoir  holding 
3,000,000  gallons  is  kept  full,  as  a  reserve 
at  all  times.  Here,  too,  we  find  many 
orchards  of  orange,  lemon,  fig,  and  fruit 
trees.  From  Pomona  it  is  9.5  miles  to  the 
side-track  and  signal  station  of 

Cacamonga  —  elevation,  952  feet. 
Two  and  a  half  miles  north  is  the  Cuca- 
monga  Ranche,  celebrated  for  its  wines. 
To  the  South,  ten  miles,  is  Rincon  Settle- 
ment, a  rich  agricultural  region,  under  a 
most  complete  system  of  irrigation,  the 
water  being  supplied  by  the  Santa  Anna 
River,  which  carries  a  large  volume  of 
water  at  all  seasons.  A  run  of  15.2  miles, 
through  a  section  of  country  where  are  a 
few  good  ranches  we  come  to 

Colton— This  place  was  named  for 
the  late  vice-President  of  the  Southern 
Pacific,  and  is  a  regular  eating  station  for 
trains  from  the  East  and  West.  The  town 
is  not  a  very  large  one  at  present  —about 
200  persons  will  be  the  full  number— yet  it 
is  quite  a  busy  place,  as  it  is  the  nearest 
station  to  San  Bernardino,  on  the  east,  and 
Riverside,  on  the  southwest.  The  Trans- 
Continental  is  the  principal  hotel,  and  a 
very  good  one.  CoRon  has  a  newspaper — 
the  Semi-TropiCy  that  makes  its  bow 
weekly. 

Marble — To  the  west  of  the  station, 
half-mile  distant,  a  round  butte  rises  from 
the  prairie  to  the  height  of  500  feet,  about 
115  acres  in  area,  in  which  has  been  dis- 
covered an  immense  body  of  what  has  been 
pronounced  a  very  fine  quality  of  marble, 
besides  lime  and  cement  in  great  abun- 
dance. A  stock  company  has  been  formed, 
a  rail  track  is  to  be  laid  to  the  mine,  and 
the  marble  will  soon  be  in  the  market ;  the 
demand  for  which,  it  is  said,  is  already 
very  great. 

The  Co  JON  Pass — (pronounced  ko-hoon) 
through  the  San  Bernardino  Mountains,  is 
due  north  from  Colton,  and  we  hear  there 
are  plans  maturing,  to  build  a  railroad 
through  this  "Pass "to  Mojava,  a  distance 
of  70  miles.  Should  this  ever  be  done,  the 
distance  from  Colton  to  Mojava  and  the 
north  will  be  shorter  by  90  miles  than  the 

E resent  line  via  Los  Angeles.    The  grade 
\  said  to  be  easy,  and  the  work  of  build- 
ing, light. 
Stages  leave  on  arrival  of  trains,  for  San 


^-Nol  I'll  n«t>#r  tell!  but  ask  Butler,  freight 
agent  at  Coltou,  to  show  you  his  mhiU  owl—iVi  a 
great  curiosity. 


Bernardino,  four  miles  east ;  fare,  50  cents ; 
to  Riverside,  eight  miles  southwest,  fare,  75 
cents. 

The  Riyerside  Colony — is  located  on 
8,000  acres  of  the  best  agricultural  land  in 
the  State,  most  of  which  is  under  irri- 
gating ditches,  and  is  in  a  very  thriving 
condition ;  in  fact,  it  is  the  most  prosper- 
ous, wealthy,  and  successful  colony  on  the 
Pacific  coast.  Land  that  in  1868  was 
worth  but  a  few  dollars  per  acre,  now  would 
sell  readily  for  from  $100  to  $150  per  acre 
— verily^  this  country  is  tTie  poor  man^a 
paradise, — and  there  are  millions  of  acres 
full  as  good,  now  unoccupied,  awaiting  his 
advent. 

HBJk  Bern ardiiio— four  miles  east, 
and  61  miles  east  of  Los  Angeles,  is  the 
county  seat  of  San  Bernardino  county,  the 
largest  in  the  State.  It  was  settled  by  a  colony 
of  Mormons  in  1847,  and  the  town  laid  out 
in  the  same  manner  as  Salt  Lake  City,  with 
water  running  through  all  the  principal 
streets  from  a  never-failing  supply  obtained 
from  numerous  springs  and  creeks,  in,  and 
coming  down  from  the  San  Bernardino 
Mountains  on  the  east,  close  to  the  base  of 
which,  the  town  is  located.  All  the  Mor- 
mons  now  living  here  are  "  Josephites," 
Brigham,  some  years  since,  having  called 
home  to  Salt  Lake  all  who  were  devoted 
to  him.  The  town  contains  a  population 
of  about  6,000,  most  of  whom  are  engaged 
in  fruit  raising  and  agricultural  pursuits. 
Fruit  trees  of  all  kinds,  with  vineyards, 
gardens,  and  groves,  are  the  rule,  and,  alto- 
gether, it  is  a  very  beautiful  town. 

San  Bernardino  is  on  the  old  trail, 
through  the  Cajon  Pass,  to  the  mining 
regions  of  Nevada  and  Arizona,  now  of 
little  use.  The  valley  of  San  Bernardino 
contains  36,000  acres.  Crops  of  all  kinds 
grow  in  this  valley.  Much  of  the  land 
produces  two  crops  a  year — barley  for  the 
first,  and  corn  for  the  second;  of  the 
former,  fifty  bushels  to  the  acre  is  the  av- 
erage yield,  and  of  the  latter,  from  fifty  to 
sixty  bushels.  Of  alfalfa,  from  five  to  six 
crops  a  year  are  grown. 

Six  miles  north  of  San  Bernandino  are 
"Waterman's  Hot  Springs.  These  springs 
are  said  to  be  almost  a  sure  cure  for  the 
rheumatism;  they  are  700  feet  above  the 
valley,  and  1,800  above  sea  level. 

Near  San  Bernardino  are  the  Mountains, 
— East,  the  most  prominent  peak  of  which 
is  8,750  feet  above  sea  level. 

Returning  to  Colton,  another  engine  is 
attached  to  our  train,  and  we  proceed  to 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


229 


climb  the  San  Gorgonio  Pass ;  so  we  bid 
adieu  to  the  orange  groves,  the  beautiful 
fruit  orchards,  the  luscious  vineyards,  and 
the  glorious  climate  of  California,  as  we 
shall  see  no  more  of  those  attractions  on 
this  trip.  "  Fare-thee-well,  and  if  forever, 
still,  forever  fare-thee-well." 

Leaving  Colton,  we  cross  Santa  Anna 
River,  and  3.4  miles  from  Colton  come  to 
Mound  City,  a  signal  station,  with  an 
elevation  of  1,055  feet.  The  road  now 
runs  up  a  narrow  canyon  with  low  hills  on 
each  side. 

Sheep  are  the  only  things  of  life  now 
noticeable.    Eleven  miles  further  comes 

£1  Casco — another  signal  station,  sit- 
uated in  a  ravine  extending  to  the  Pass. 
Up  this  ravine  the  average  grade  is  80  feet 
to  the  mile;  elevation,  1,874  feet.  We  are 
now  in  a  section  where  large  quantities  of 
peaches  are  raised. 

Continuing  up  the  mountain  8.5  miles 
brings  us  to  the  Summit  of  the  Pass,  2,592 
feet,  at 

ISan  Gorgon  io— There  are  some 
good  agricultural  lands  near,  when  irri- 
gated, and  a  scheme  is  on  foot  to  bring  the 
water  from  the  mountains  to  the  northeast, 
twelve  miles  distant,  for  that  purpose. 

To  the  west,  seven  miles,  is  the  great 
Ban  Jacinto  Nueva  Rancho,  containing 
47,000  acres.  This  property  is  now  being 
Bub-divided  into  10,  and|20  acre  farms,  and 
sold  on  easy  terms.  We  have  visited  the 
Rancho  and  are  free  to  say  the  greater  por- 
tion is  a  soil  fully  as  rich  and  productive 
as  any  in  the  State,  easily  irrigated  where 
necessary,  from  the  San  Jacinto  River 
which  runs  through  the  property,  or  by 
wells ;  abundance  of  water  being  obtained 
within  from  five  to  twenty  feet  of  the 
surface. 

From  this  station  it  is  down  grade  for 
6.2  miles  to  Banning,  a  signal  station,  and 
5.7  miles  more  brings  us  to 

Cabazon — (pronounced  Cabb-a-zone), 
which  means  "Big  Head,"  named  for  a 
tribe  of  Indians  who  live  in  this  country ; 
elevation,  1,779  feet.  We  are  now  in  the 
Coahulian  Valley.  To  the  right  are  the  San 
Jacinto  Mountains,  covered  with  timber. 
From  Cabazon  it  is  8.5  miles  to  White 
Water,  an  unimportant  signal  station, 
1,126  feet  altitude,  where  we  enter  the  cac 
tus  and  desert  country,  and  from  which 
station  it  is  7.5  miles  to 

Seven  Palms— elevation  584  feet. 
Fh'S  station  was  named  for  seven  large 
palm  trees,  situated  about  one  mile  north 


of  the  station.  They  are  from  40  to  60  feet 
in  height,  with  very  large,  spreading  tops. 
The  water  at  this  station  is  the  first  and 
best  on  the  west  side  of  the  desert,  and  iu 
the  dajrs  when  emigrants  traveled  this 
route  with  teams,  it  was  one  of  the  points 
looked  forward  to  with  much  pleasure. 

From  this  station  to  Dos  Palmas,  a  little 
over  50  miles,  the  palm  trees  are  abundant 

Indio— is  20.8  miles  from  Seven  Palms, 
with  a  depression  of  just  twenty  feet  below 
sea-level.  The  palm  trees  along  here  are 
many  of  them  70  feet  in  height.  W  hen  we 
commenced  to  descend  below  the  sea  level, 
three  miles  before  reaching  Indio,  we  left 
the  sand-belt  and  entered  a  region  more 
adapted  for  agricultural  purposes,  strange 
as  it  may  seem.  The  cactus  grows  luxu- 
riantly, and  the  mesquite  shrub  and  palms 
cover  the  face  of  the  laud.  From  this 
point  we  descend  lower  and  lower  at  every 
rsvolution  of  the  wheels,  down,  down  under 
the  sea!  Methinks  we  can  see  the  huge 
ships  sailing  over  our  heads,  and  many  of 
the  leviathans  of  the  deep,  with  an  eye  cast 
wistfully  down  upon  us ;  then  we  think  of 
Jonah,  and  wonder  if  we  will  come  out  as 
he  did ;  then,  along  comes  the  freebooter, 
Mr.  Shark,  and  appears  to  be  taking  our 
measure  with  a  knowing  wink  of  his  left 
fin — he  rises  to  the  surface  as  though  to  get 
a  fresh  breath  and  a  better  start  for  a  grand 
dive,  looking  as  hungry  as  a  New  York 
landlord,  as  enterprising  as  a  Chicago 
drummer,  and  as  "cheeky"  as  some  of  the 
literary  thieves  who  pirate  information 
from  our  book,  without  giving  credit. 

In  some  points  of  the  depression,  where 
we  first  enter  it,  three  miles  north  of  Indio, 
fresh  water  can  be  obtained  by  sinking 
from  twelve  to  sixteen  feet.  Here,  vegeta- 
tion is  very  luxuriant ;  mesquite,  iron-wood, 
arrow-wood,  grease-wood,  sage  and  other 
woods  and  shrubs  abound.  Further  to  the 
south,  from  Walters  to  Flowing  Wells,  a 
distance  of  over  40  miles,  the  country  is 
completely  barren,  in  fact,  is  a  "howling 
wilderness."  Through  this  section,  the 
water  obtained  by  digging  is  very  salt 

The  beach  surrounding  this  depression 
is  40  feet  above  high  water ;  the  lines  are 
the  same  noticeable  around  any  salt  beach, 
the  pebbles  laying  in  rows,  away  around 
the  different  water-lines,  as  though  left  but 
yesterday  by  the  receding  waters.  Marine 
and  fresh  water  shells  are  numerous,  indi- 
cating a  fresh  water  lake  here,  subsequent 
to  its  being  a  part  of  the  ocean. 

Walters— is  13.3  miles  from  Indio, 


230 


CROFUTT'S  NEW  OVERLAND  TOURIST 


where  passenger  trains  meet  and  pass.  At 
this  point  we  are  135  feet  below  the  level  of 
the  sea,  and  still  going  down.  Ten  miles 
further  and  we  are  266  feet  below;  gradually 
we  ascend,  and  at  the  next  station,  17.4 
miles  from  Walters,  are  at 

]>os  l*alilias— only  253  feet  below. 
From  .Dos  Palmas,  desolation  reigns  sii- 
preme,  and  10.9  miles  brings  us  to 

Fink'is  Sprinss  — Here  we  are 
seven  feet  lower  than  at  Dos  Palmas,  being 
260  feet  below;  alittle  further  it  will  be  263 
feet,  when  we  commence  to  rise. 

Five  miles  south,  are  twenty-five  square 
miles  of  mud  springs.  The  first  is  about 
100  yards  east  of  the  road,  and  is  cold. 
Then  to  the  right,  from  one  to  six  miles,  are 
many  springs,  both  hot  and  cold.  Some 
are  200  feet  in  diameter,  boiling  up  as 
though  in  a  huge  caldron,  just  on  a  level 
with  the  ground.  Others  are  smaller,  cone- 
ehaped,  rising  in  some  cases  25  feet  from 
the  ground,  a  kind  of  miniature  volcanoes. 
The  mud  in  these  springs  is  much  the  same 
consistency  as  ordinary  mush,  bubbling  up 
as  in  a  pot,  over  a  slow  fire.  The  smell, 
coupled  with  an  occasional  rumbling  sound, 
reminds  one  of  a  region  of  which  our 
modern  teachers  deny  the  existence. 

The  railroad  track  does  not  cross  this 
depression  in  the  lowest  place,  as  an  area 
west  from  Dos  Palmas  is  twelve  and  a  half 
feet  lower.  This  has  been  called  a  Vol- 
canic country.  There  are  no  signs  that 
would  indicate  it  ever  to  have  been  dis- 
turbed by  volcanic  eruptions,  except  the 
presence  of  the  mud  springs ;  on  the  con- 
trary, most  ot  the  rocks  surrounding  this 
"basin  for  fifty  miles  are  granite,  which  is 
unusual  in  a  volcanic  section  of  countiy. 
What  few  rocks  there  are  here,  that  are  not 
granite,  show  no  appearance  of  volcanic 
matter.  Spurs  of  San  Bernardino  Mountains 
have  been  on  our  left,  up  to  this  point,  after 
which  they  dwindle  to  small,  isolated  sand 
hills,  here  and  there. 

Floiving  Well— is  the  next  station, 
17.7  miles  from  Fink's  Springs.  We  have 
risen,  so  that  we  are  now  only  45  feet  below 
8ea  level.  At  this  station  the  Railroad 
Co.  sank  an  artesian  well  160  feet  deep, 
and  got  an  abundance  of  water,  through  a 
six-inch  pipe,  but  it  was  too  salt  for  use. 

Six  miles  further  we  pass 

Tortus  a — a  signal  station,  188  feet 
altitude,  and  6  miles  further  come  to 

Mammotli  Tank — so  named  from  a 
Jiatural  water  tank  in  the  granite  rocks  on 
the  left,  five  miles  distant,  which  holds  10,000 


gallons,  filled  by  rains,  and  nearly  always 
has  water  in  it. 

It  is  said  there  are  several  hundred  va- 
rieties of  cactus  on  this  desert,  and  we  are 
ready  to  admit  the  statement  without  hunt- 
ing further  proof  than  what  can  be  seen 
from  the  car  window.  They  are  here,  of 
all  sizes,  shape  and  form.  Eleven  miles 
further,  we  come  to  another  signal  station 
called 

Mesquite— so  named  because  there  is 
no  mesquite  near  or  in  the  immediate  vi- 
cmity.    Next  comes  — 13.8  miles — 

Cactns— elevation,  396  feet,  named  for 
a  variety  of  cactus  called  "ocotilla,"  which 
grows  in  great  numbers,  near. 

To  the  east,  from  this  station,  can  be 
seen  Chimney  Peak— a  conglomerate  rock 
—a  huge  cone,  160  feet  in  diameter,  which 
rises  from  the  summit  of  some  low  hills, 
700  feet  in  height,  beyond  which,  40  miles 
away,  can  be  seen  the  Castle  Dome  Moun- 
tains. They  are  on  the  east  side  of  the 
Colorado  River,  from  the  summit  of  which 
rises  Castle  Dome,  a  ^anite  column,  500 
ifeet  above  the  mountain  range,  which  pre- 
sents the  appearance  of  a  monster,  square, 
liatrroofed  building,  but  which  in  reality, 
is  a  long,  narrow  column,  when  viewed 
from  a  point  to  the  southward  of  the  Dome. 

Mesquite,  sage,  and  grease-wood  shrubs 
are  now  to  be  seen  on  all  sides.  Directly 
ahead  is  a  tall,  round  butte,  called  Pilot 
Knob,  on  the  east  side  of  which  are  located 
some  lead  mines.  This  butte  is  just  seven 
miles  north  of  the  Mexican  boundary  line. 
Passing  on  13.6  miles,  we  come  to  a  signal 
station,  called 

Pilot  Knob — From  here,  our  course 
changes  a  little  more  to  the  eastward,  and 
we  soon  come  in  view  of  the  Colorado 
River,  with  a  wide,  sandy  botton  covered 
with  willows  and  mesquite.  From  Pilot 
Knob  it  is  9.4  miles  to  Yuma,  about  five  of 
which  brings  to  us  the  first  view  of  the 
river,  and  the  next  four  to  the  west  end  of 
the  bridge.  To  the  left,  before  crossing  the 
bridge,  is  Fort  Yuma,  a  Government  post, 
occupied  by  about  one  dozen  "boys  in 
blue."  It  is  on  a  high  butte,  overlooking 
the  surrounding  country.  To  the  right,  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  on  a  high 
bluff,  is  located  the  Quartermaster's  De- 
partment. Crossing  the  bridge,  which  haa 
a  draw  for  river  boats,  and  through  a  deep 
cut,  we  are  in  Arizona,  and  at 

Yuma  City — This  is  unlike  any  city 
we  have  heretofore  visited.  It  contains  a 
population  of  about    1,500,    one-fifth   of 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


231 


whom  are  Americans,  the  balance  Spanish, 
Mexicans,  and  natives— Indians.  The 
buildings  are  all  one  story  high,  made  of 
sod,  adobe,  or  sun-dried  brick,  the  walls 
being  from  two  to  four  feet  thick,  with  flat 
roofs.  The  roofs  are  made  by  a  layer  of 
poles,  covered  with  willows,  sometimes  a 
covermg  of  cloth,  or  rawhide  beneath 
them,  and  then  covered  with  dirt  to  a  thick- 
ness  of  from  one  to  two  feet.  On  all  sides 
of  these  houses  verandas  project  from  ten 
to  twenty  feet,  built  of  poles,  like  the  roof, 
some  with  dirt,  others  with  only  the  brush. 
These  verandas  are  built  for  protection 
against  the  powerful  rays  of  the  sun.  In 
summer  the  heat  is  intense;  often  the 
mercury  marks  126,  and  once,  some  years 
ago,  we  learn  from  a  reliable  authority,  it 
was  130  degrees  in  the  shade.  As  might 
be  supposed,  snow  and  frost  are  unknown 
in  Yuma.  In  summer,  the  American, 
Spanish  and  Mexican  residents  wear  as 
little  clothing  as  possible,  while  the  native 
Indians'  covering,  will  not  exceed  the  size 
of  a  small  pocket  handkerchief,  adjusted 
in  the  mother  Eve  fashion,  with  sometimes 
a  long  trailing  strip  of  red  material  dang- 
ling from  the  rear  belt,  a  la  monkey. 

In  the  hot  weather,  which  is  intense  for 
about  eight  months  in  the  year,  the  people 
sleep  on  the  roofs  of  the  houses,  covered 
by  the  drapery  furnished  by  nature — 
darkness. 

Yuma,  with  all  its  varieties  of  citizens, 
is  a  very  orderly  city  The  great  majority 
of  the  people  are  Koman  Catholics,  that 
denomination  having  the  only  church 
building  in  the  city  There  are  a  few 
stores,  with  quite  extensive  stocks  of 
goods.  The  hotels  are  not  very  extensive, 
such  only  in  name ;  the  Palace  and  Colorado 
are  the  two  principal  ones.  Yuma  has 
one  weekly  newspaper —the  Sentinel. 

Most  of  the  Spanish  and  Mexican  houses 
are  surrounded  with  high  fences,  made  of 
poles,  set  in  the  ground  close  together,  to  a 
depth  of  three  or  more  feet,  and  secured 
together  about  four  feet  from  the  ground, 
with  narrow  strips  of  rawhide  interwoven, 
when  soft,  around  and  between  the  poles, 
so  when  the  hide  dries  the  fence  is  very 
strong.  Many  of  these  fences  present  a 
very  ragged  appearance,  as  the  poles  range 
in  height  from  four  to  twelve  feet  above 
he  ground.  The  more  enterprising  of  thet 
people  saw  these  poles  off  to  a  uniform 
height,  when  they  present  a  much  more 
artistic  and  finished  appearance. 

The  Railroad  Company  have  large  ware- 


houses here  built  of  lumber,  for  the  accom- 
modation of  both  the  railroad  and  steamer 
business.  The  boats  on  the  Colorado  River 
are  all  owned  by  the  Railroad  Company, 
and  are  run  in  connection  with  the  trains. 

Just  above  the  railroad  bridge,  on  the 
west  bank  of  the  Colorado  River,  is  situ- 
ated Fort  Yuma.  It  is  located  on  the  top 
of  a  bold,  round  butte  about  one-fourth  of 
a  mile  in  diameter,  rising  about  200  feet 
above  the  river  bottom,  and  projecting 
into  the  Colorado  River  to  meet  a  promon- 
tory of  about  the  same  height  on  the  east 
side.  Between  these  bold  points  flows  the 
Colorado  River,  about  300  yards  iu  width. 
The  Colorado  River  reaches  this  point 
from  the  northward,  and  the  Gila  (pro- 
nounced Hee-le)  from  the  east,  forming  a 
junction  close  above  the  points  named.  It 
is  proposed  by  those  managing  the  inter- 
ests (so  we  hear)  of  the  Texas  &  Pacific 
railroad,  to  build  a  bridge  across  the  Col- 
orado River  at  these  blufls,  some  work  of 
grading  having  been  done  in  the  fall  of 
1877,  just  previous  to  the  locating  of  the 
present  railroad  bridge,  a  few  hundred 
yards  below. 

From  the  high  butte  above  named,  a 
view  can  be  had  of  Yuma,  the  valleys  of 
the  Colorado  and  the  Gila  rivers,  the 
mesas,  and  the  surrounding  country  for 
many  miles. 

COLORADO  RIYER  STEAMERS. 

Passenger  and  freight  steamers  leave 
Yuma  for  Aubry,  during  the  summer  sea- 
son, weekly,  commencing  the  first  Saturday 
in  May  and  continuing  until  the  last  of  Oc- 
tober, from  that  time  until  January  follow- 
ing, they  will  leave  every  alternate  Satur- 
day. Steamers  for  Camp  Mohava  leave 
every  fifth  Wednesday,  commencing  about 
the  middle  of  January.  These  steamers 
run  to  El  Dorado  Canyon,  from  May  1st  to 
the  last  of  October  (stage  of  water  permit- 
ting). 

Distance  from  Yuma,  per  river  steamer, 
to  Castle  Dome,  35  miles,  fare,  $5.00; 
Eherenberg,  125  miles,  fare,  $15.00;  Au- 
bry, 220  miles,  fare,  $28.00;  Camp  Mo- 
hava,  300  miles,  fare,  $35.00 ;  Hardyville, 
312  miles,  fare,  $35.00;  El  Dorado  Canyon, 
365  miles,  fare,  $45.00 

The  Colorado  river  is  the  largest  in  Ari- 
zona. Its  principal  tributaries  are  the 
Grand  River,  which  rises  in  the  Middle 
Park  of  Colorado,  and  the  Green  River, 
which  rises  in  the  eastern  portion  of  Idaho. 
From  the  junction  of  the  Grand  and 
Green  rivers,  the  stream  is  called  the  Col- 


232 


crofutt's  new  overland  tourist 


orado,  and  with  its  windings  has  a 
length  of  3,000  miles  to  where  it  enters 
the  Gulf  of  California.  It  is  navigable 
at  all  times  about  500  miles,  and  in  a 
season  of  high  water  about  150  miles 
further  to  Callville.  The  time  is  not  far 
distant  when  a  trip  to  theGrand  Caiion 
of  the  Colorado  will  be  one  of  the  most 
attractive  and  popular  in  America — if 
not  in  the  world.  Along  this  caiion  for 
nearly  300  miles  the  channel  of  the 
river  has  been  cut  through  the  moun- 
tain walls  that  rise  up  on  each  side 
from  1,000  to  3,500  feet,  forming  the 
longest,  highest  and  grandest  caiion 
the  eye  of  man  ever  beheld. 

Stages  leave  Yuma  daily,  carrying 
passengers,  mail  and  express  for  Ca- 
stle Dome,  30  miles;  Horse  Tanks,  58 
miles;  Tyson's  "Wells,  93  miles ;  with 
branch  line  to  Eherenberg,  28  miles 
further ;  to  Wickenburg,  128  miles, and 
Prescott,  193  miles ;  average  fare,  16 
cents  per  mile. 

Leaving  Yuma,  our  course  is  due 
east, with  the  GilaBiver  on  the  left,  or 
north  side.  The  river  bottom  is  from 
two  to  five  miles  in  width  and  covered 
with  white  sage,  greasewood,  mes- 
quite  shrubs,  willows,  small  cotton- 
woods  and  some  ironwood.  The  soil  is 
a  mixture  of  loam,  sand  and  clay,  with 
alkali  beds  in  places.  Very  little  of 
the  land  is  cultivated,  yet  there  are  a 
few  Mexican  or  Spanish  settlers,  who 
"tickle  the  ground"  a  little  within  the 
first  ten  miles  after  leaving  Yuma. 
Their  irrigating  ditches  are  crossed 
in  a  number  of  places,  and  we  are  told 
the  vegetables  and  early  wheat  raised 
are  very  good.  On  the  north  side  of 
the  river,  five  miles  away,  a  Spanish 
settler  has  a  large  ranche,  which  is 
quite  productive. 

About  ten  miles  east  of  Yuma,  the 
bluffs  on  each  side  close  in  on  the  riv- 
er,and  our  road  is  built  through  a  suc- 


cession of  rocky  points  or  spurs  which 
extend  to  the  river  bank.  To  the  right 
or  south  side  our  view  is  wholly  ob- 
structed ;  but  to  the  northward,  be- 
yond the  river,  the  country  is  very 
much  broken  with  canons  and  ravines 
coming  down  from  the  high  rocky 
bluffs  which  overtop  each  other  in  the 
distance,  some  of  which  must  reach 
an  altitude  of  1,500  ft.  above  the  valley. 

A  few  miles  through  rock  cuttings 
and  our  train  will  reach  the  river 
bank  and  afford  us  a  view  of  Los  Flo- 
res,  a  small  mining  camp  on  the  north 
side  of  the  river,  the  "drifts"  showing 
plainly.  A  two-stamp  mill  is  the  ex- 
tent of  the  machinery  used. 

Gila  City— is  15.7  miles  east  of 
Yuma,  inhabited  principally  by  Papa- 
go  Indians,  with  a  small  sprinkling  of 
whites,  most  of  whom  are  engaged  in 
"dry  washing"  for  gold  in  the  caiions 
and  ravines  south  of  the  station.  The 
gold  is  fine  and  not  very  abundant. 

Leaving  the  station,  within  a  few 
miles  we  will  see  the  first  of  a  kind  of 
cactus  peculiar  to  Arizona.  It  is  cer- 
tainly the  "Boss"  cactus  of  the  world. 
(See  Annex  No.  55  and  page  235.) 

Leaving  Gila  City,  the  country  is 
more  open,  the  river  bottom  is  sever- 
al miles  broad,  and  covered  with  small 
cottonwoods,  willows,  and  under- 
brush; much  of  this  land  would  pro- 
duce crops  with  irrigation,  but  the  riv- 
er could  not  be  depended  upon  to  sup- 
ply the  water  at  the  time  it  would  be 
required. 

By  looking  away  to  the  southward, 
the  first  glimpse  is  obtained  of  a  pecu- 
liar sharp  needle-pointed  rocky  butte. 
which  in  general  formation  is  found 
in  our  travels  only  on  the  Gila  Des- 
ert, where  they  are  very  numerous. 
These  buttes  are  of  volcanic  for- 
mation, completely  isolated,  many  of 


No.  3S  Annex.  Cape  Hr>rn  — is  a  bold 
promontory,  situated  on  the  north  side  of  the  Co- 
lumbia River,  in  Washington  Territory,  about 
midway  between  the  Cascade  Mountains  and  the 
Dalles,  This  promontory  is  of  basaltic  formation 
—like  most  others  on  the  Columbia— and  rises 
near  250  ft.  pei-pendiuclar  from  the  water's  edge, 
and  extends  about  one  mile  in  length,  the  lower 
part  projecting  several  hundred  feet  out  into  the 
river.  Cape  Horn  derives  its  name  from  the  dan- 
ger in  passing  it.  Our  large  illustration,  No.  10, 
represents  a  small  party  of  pleasure  and  curios- 
ity seekers  on  a  pleasant  afternoon,  when  the 
winds  had  lulled,  who  have  successfully  rounded 
the  capo. 


Xo.  39  Annex.  Wood  ffaulina:  in  Ne- 
vada— No.  11,  of  the  large  views,  is  a  beautiful 
engraving,  representing  a  ten-mule  team  loaded 
with  wood.  The  three  wagons  are  coupled  to- 
gether like  a  train  of  cars — called  "trail  wagons" 
on  which  are  loaded  twenty-four  cords  of  wood, 
At  the  point  represented  in  the  picture,  the  team 
is  about  on  the  dividing  line  between  Gold  Hill, 
down  the  canyon  to  the  rear  of  the  wagons,  one- 
fourth  mile— and  Virginia  City,  directly  ahead, 
about  the  same  distance  around  the  ijoint  of  the 
mountain.  This  plan  of  coupling  wagons  is  quite 
common  on  the  Pacific  Coast  for  all  kinds  of 
heavy  hauling.  The  picture  was  engraved  by  Mr. 
Bross,  of  New  York,  from  a  photograph. 


PACIFIC   COAST   GUIDE. 


233 


INDIANS  WATCHING   THE    "FIRE  WAGONS."— SEE  ANNEX  Na  49. 


which  rise  abruptly  from  the  plain  to 
an  altitude  of  2,000  feet.  In  color,  they 
vary  from  dark  brown  to  black,  and  in 
general  appearance  resembling  iron 
slag.  Some  of  these  buttes  take  the 
form  of  narrow  "hog-back"  ranges, 
very  sharp,  and  very  steep,  extending 
several  miles.  The  view  between  the 
buttes  or  ridges  are  on  a  level  with  the 
plain  and  extend  as  far  as  the  eye  can 
reach ;  where  they  overlap  each*  other 
the  appearance  is  like  one  continuous 
range. 

From  Gila  City,  it  is  14  miles  to 

Adonde — a  side  track  station,  with 
one  building,  several  tents  and  a  big 
water  tank. 

The  railroad  company  have  to  haul 
all  the  water  they  use,  on  the  first  150 
miles  of  their  road  east  of  Yuma,  in 
water-cars,  from  either  Adonde  or  the 
the  Colorado  Eiver  at  Yuma.  The  wa- 
ter from  theColorado  is  preferred  over 
that  from  Adonde,  as  the  latter  is 
strongly  impregnated  with  alkali. 

Leaving  Adonde  we  leave  the  Gila 
River  far  to  the  left,  and  will  soon  re- 
alize that  we  are  fairly  out  upon  a  vast 


expanse  of  desert,  inhabited  solely  by 
rattlesnakes,  lizards  and  owls,  with 
an  occasional  woodpecker.  Sage 
knolls,  ironwood,  raesquite,  grease- 
wood,  clay,  and  sand— the  latter  very 
heavy— is  now  the  rule,  with  an  occa- 
sional bunch  of  white  calette  grass. 
The  surrounding  peaks  are  now  prom- 
inent in  all  directions,  on  both  sides 
of  the  river;  many  on  the  north  side 
are  castellated  and  of  a  peculiar  som- 
bre appearance. 

Passing  several  buttes  close  on  the 
left,— between  our  train  and  the  river 
—the  largest  of  which  is  known  as  An- 
telope Peak,  and  along  over  a  sandy 
waste,  we  approach  Mohawk  Summit, 
26  miles  from  Adonde,  but  there  is  no 
station,  no  signs  of  life.  This  summit 
is  simply  a  low  pass  in  one  of  those 
long,  rocky,  narrow  ridges  which  here 
runs  north  and  south,  across  our  path. 
Just  before  reaching  the  summit  our 
road  is  bridged  over  a  dry  sandy  de- 
pression, which  apparently,  was  once 
the  bed  of  a  broad  stream  of  water. 
Along  the  banks  are  many  trees, 
among  which  we  notice  the  Paloverde, 


234 


ceofutt's  new  overland  tourist 


with  its  smooth,  bright  yellow  bark, 
otherwise  much  resembling  the  ma- 
drone  tree  heretofore  described.  Iron- 
wood  is  also  to  be  seen  as  well  as  the 
'*boss"  cactus,  in  great  numbers.  For 
description,  see  Annex,  No.  55,  and  il- 
lustration opposite  page. 

To  the  east  of  the  summit,  the  evi- 
dences to  prove  that  this  country  was 
once  lighted  by  volcanic  fires,  are 
abundant.  The  whole  surface  of  the 
country  is  covered  or  underlaid  with 
lava.  It  crops  out  in  every  ravine, 
and  at  every  cutting.  Where  the  lava 
is  exposed  to  the  air,  it  is  soft,  and 
readily  broken  in  pieces  in  the  hands. 
By  the  action  of  the  wind  and  rain 
much  of  the  surface  lava  has  become 
reduced  to  dust  which  covers  the 
ground ;  disagreeable  at  all  times,  but 
when  wafted  by  a  Gila  zephyr  is  ter- 
ribly annoying. 

Texas  Hill— is  7.6  miles  east  of 
the  summit — a  side  track,  and  section 
house  now  comprises  the  station.  Con- 
tinuing eastward,  the  general  appear- 
ance of  the  country  is  unchanged,  ex- 
cept as  to  its  volcanic  evidences 
which  are  more  noticeable. 

Stan-wix— is  an  unimportant  side- 
track 22.7  miles  east  of  Texas  Hill. 
The  Gila  Eiver  is  here  about  10  miles 
to  the  northward,  the  bottom  lands  of 
which,  as  we  ascend  the  river  are  im- 
proving, and  with  irrigation,  raise 
good  crops  of  wheat  and  vegetables. 

H^entinel — is  another  side  track  4.6 
miles  from  the  last,  but  it  is  a  lone 
Sentinel,  opposite  the  place  on  the 
river  where  the  Oatman  family  were 
murdered  by  the  Tonto  Indians  in 
1851.    A  run  of  13.9  miles  brings  us  to 

Painted  Bock— so  named  for  the 
noted  land  mark  on  the  north  side  of 
the  river.  Called  by  the  natives  "Pe- 
dras  Pintados."    (See  Annex,  No.  48.) 

Gila  Bend  — is  13.9  miles  from 
Painted  Kock— and  derives  its  name 
from  its  location  near  the  great  bend 
of  the  Gila  Eiver,  and  from  an  old 
stage  station  of  the  same  name,  a  few 
miles  to  the  northward.  The  appear- 
ance of  the  country  bordering  the  line 
of  Eailroad— since  crossing  the  San 
BarnardinoMountains— up^  to  this  sta- 
tion, in  an  agricultural  point  of  view 
— particularly,  to  an  east-of-the  Mis- 
souri Eiver  farmer— is  not  very  en- 
couraging. Yet,  with  irrigation^  there 


are  millions  of  acres  of  productive 
lands.  At  this  "bend"  of  the  GilaEiver, 
we  strike  the  edge  of  one  of  the  rich- 
est and  finest  bodies  of  land  in  Arizo- 
na—but it  must  be  irrigated— and  the 
Gila  affords  abundance  of  water  for 
that  purpose.  "With  a  proper  system 
of  canals  and  wind-mills,  oranges, 
lemons,  vineyards,  nuts,  and  all  kinds 
of  tropical  and  semi-tropical  cereals, 
can  be  raised  in  abundance ;— and, 
within  our  knowledge— we  know  of  no 
section  of  the  trans-Missouri  country 
where  a  more  promising  opportunity 
for  the  investment  of  capital  in  a  safe, 
legitimate,  and  growing  business, 
than  is  here  indicated.  Wood  is  a 
scarce  article  in  many  parts  of  Arizo- 
na—but is  plentiful  about  Gila  Bend 
and  along  the  river  bottoms,— which, 
in  a  country  devoid  of  coal,  is  an  item 
of  no  small  consequence. 

Continuing  eastward,  the  side  track 
of  EsTERELLA  is  18.8  milcs,  and  18.2 
miles  more  to 

Maricopa— where  the  first  through 
train  from  San  Francisco  arrived  May 
12th,  1879.  This  town  of  Maricopa,  lo-~  ^ 
cated  as  it  is  in  the  center  of  great 
mineral  wealth,  the  distributing  point 
for  a  vast  region  of  country— north 
and  south  of  it  —is  destined  at  an  ear- 
ly day,  to  become  one  of  prominence. 
It  now  contains  several  large  mercan- 
tile houses,  hotels,  restaurants,  etc. 
The  Eailroad  Co.  have  a  good  depot, 
and  a  large  freight  building  for  the  ac- 
commodation of  the  great  amount  of 
merchandise  arriving  here  for  distant 
points— mostly  to  the  northward,— 
Phoenix,  Vulture,  Wickenburg,  Pres- 
cott,  etc.  Ores  and  bullion  are  also 
received  here  as  return  freight,  for 
shipment  to  San  Francisco  and  the 
east. 

Between  Gila  City  and  Maricopa 
there  are  few  buildings,  except  those 
used  by  the  Eailroad  Company.  The 
"section  houses"  are  all  alike,  built  of 
lumber  with  double,  or  sun  roofs.  The 
upper  roof  is  supported  by  upright 
timbers  and  is  elevated  about  two 
feet  above  the  lower  roof,  over  which 
it  extends,  on  all  sides,  about  four 
feet.  The  space  between  the  roofs  al- 
lows the  air  to  circulate  freely,  and  to 
a  great  extent  protects  the  occupants 
of  the  buildings  against  the  powerful 
heat  of  the  sun,  which  often,  in  the 


cbofutt's  new  ovebland  tourist 


summer,  marks  115  to  130  degrees  on 
these  plains. 

The  old  stage  station  of  Maricopa 
Wells  is  situated  about  ten  miles  to 
the  northward,  on  the  Gila  Biver,  and 
not  far  distant  is  the  Gila  Indian  Re- 
servation, where  live  the  Pima  and 
Maricopa  Indians,  numbering  4,328. 
This  reservation  contains  70,000  acres 
of  as  rich  and  productive  lands  as 
there  is  in  the  Territory,  much  of 
which  is  cultivated  by  the  Indians, 
who  are  self  sustaining. 

For  interesting  historical  matters 
regarding  Arizona,  see  Annex,  No.  64. 

Distances :  Maricopa  to  Yuma,  156 
miles ;  Tucson,  91  miles ;  San  Francis- 
co, 887  miles ;  El  Paso,  399  miles ;  Phoe- 
nix, 35  miles.  Vulture,  90  miles ;  Wick- 
enberg,  90  miles ;  Prescott,  152  miles. 
Stages  leave  daily  with  passengers, 
mails  and  express  for  Phoenix,  Pres- 
cott and  intermediate  places— fare, 
about  seventeen  cents  per  mile.  The 
general  direction  of  our  road  from 
Maricopa  changes  from  the  east  to 
the  south-east  for  the  next  140  miles, 
when  it  again  turns  to  the  eastward. 

From  Maricopa  it  is  14.9  miles  to  a 
side  track  called  Sweet  Watee,  and 
11.1  miles  further  to 

Casa  Grande— this  like  all  rail- 
way stations,  when  they  are  at  the 
"end  of  the  track,"  was  a  very  busy 
place.— Temporary  wooden  buildings, 
canvass  tents,  and  shanties  of  all 
kinds,  and  for  all  purposes,  were  scat- 
tered in  all  directions ;  immense  quan- 
tities of  railroad  material  of  every  de- 
scription covers  many  acres  of  land ; 
J)onderous  "prairie  schooners"  were 
oading  merchandise  for  distant  points 
while  others  were  unloading  ores  and 
bullion;  stage  coaches  with  passen- 
gers, mails  and  express  were  leaving 
and  arriving  loaded  to  their  utmost ; 
and  people  of  every  nationality,  color, 
dress  and  occupation,  were  to  be  seen 
on  every  side  intent  on  some  kind  of 
business.  Such  was  Casa  Grande 
January  1st,  1880.  But  when  the  road 
was  extended  it  settled  down  as  a 
shipping  point  for  the  mining  region 
to  the  northward  —  and  only  such 
buildings  remain  as  are  necessary  for 
that  business. 

This  station  is  named  for  the  old 
ruin  of  Casa  Grande,  situated  about 
14  miles  to  the  northward.  (See  An- 
nex, No.  47.) 


The  general  features  of  the  country 
along  the  road  for  the  last  fifty  miles, 
in  an  agricultural  point  of  view,  is 
much  improved ;  sage,  grease  wood, 
and  mesquite  trees,  together  with 
grasses  of  various  kinds,  cover  the 
face  of  the  land ;  while  herds  of  cattle, 
sheep  and  horses  are  not  uncommon. 

Stages  leave  Casa  Grande  daily  for 
Florence,  25;  and  Silver  King,  57 
miles;  fare,  about  seventeen  cents 
per  mile. 

Toltec— is  the  next  station  "down 
on  the  bills,"  9.6  miles  from  Casa 
Grande,  and  9.1  miles  from 

Picacho— a  small  station  from 
which  large  quantities  of  coke,  and 
merchandise  is  shipped  on  wagons 
for  the  mines,  to  the  north-  and  east- 
ward. We  are  now  following  up  the 
lower  portion  of  the  Santa  Cruz  Val- 
ley, along  which  there  is  no  running 
water;  but,  judging  from  the  rank 
growth  of  sage,  mesquite,  and  grease- 
wood,  which  cover  the  land,  it  would 
not  be  a  very  difficult  task  to  sink 
wells  and  find  water  sufficient  for  ir- 
rigating purposes.  After  a  few  miles 
run  from  Picacho  station,  we  arrive 
opposite  "Picacho  Peak,"  a  noted 
land-mark,  and  rocky  butte  on  the 
right.  It  was  here,  at  the  base  of  this 
"peak"  in  May,  1862,  where  the  first 
and  only  battle  was  fought  in  Arizona 
between  the  Confederate  and  Union 
forces.  In  the  summer  of  1861,  the 
Union  troops  were  withdrawn  from 
this  Territory,  and  on  the  27th  of  Feb- 
ruary, following.  Cap.  Hunter  of  the 
Confederate  forces  arrived  at  Tucson, 
from  Texas,  and  took  possession; 
soon  after  the  news  reached  San 
Francisco  that  the  Confederates  had 
control  of  Tucson,  Genl.  Carlton,  of 
the  Federals  —  Califoruia  column  — 
started  for  this  Territory,  and  was 
met  by  the  Confederates  at  this"peak" 
as  above  stated.  The  battle  resulted 
in  a  victory  for  Genl.  Carlton  and  the 
abandonment  of  the  country  by  the 
Confederates. 

Red  Rock— a  side  track— is  13.9 
miles  from  Picacho,  and  15.5  miles 
from  BiLLiTo,  another  small  station, 
on  a  little  Creek  of  that  name,  17.1 
miles  from 

Tac9on  —  pronounced  Tu-son.  -- 
Had  we  visited  this  place  322  years 
ago,  we  would  have  been  classed  with 


PACIFIC   COAST    GUIDE. 


237 


the  "Old  Pioneers,"  instead  of  a 
'•tenderfoot"  of  1882. 

Records  show  that  Tucson  is  the 
second  oldest  town  in  the  United 
States;  Santa Fe,  New  Mexico,  being 
the  first.  The  first  settlements  were 
made  by  the  Spaniards  in  1560,  and  a 
presidio  or  fortification  was  con- 
structed to  protect  their  settlement 
at  San  Xavier;  and  from  the  appear- 
ance of  many  of  the  old  adobe  build- 
ings, and  the  aged  look  of  some  of 
the  citizens,  we  are  not  disposed  to 
dispute  the  records,  or  doubt  the  fact 
that  a  f  ewj  at  least,  of  the  earlier  sett- 
lers are  still  living. 

Tucson  is  the  county  seat  of  Pima 
county,  situated  on  a  me.sa  or  table 
land,  gradually  sloping  to  the  west- 
ward—overlooking the  Santa  Cruz 
Valley— in  lat,  32  deg.  20  min.  north 
and  long.  110  deg.  55  min.  west  of 
Greenwich.  Elevation  2,239  feet.  It 
is  978  miles  from  San  Francisco ;  220 
miles  from  Deming;  308  miles  from 
El  Paso,  Tex. ;  75  miles  north  of  the 
Mexican  boundary;  and  370  miles 
from  Guaymas,  Mexico. 

Sorin,  in  his  sketch  of  Tucson  says : 
"The  Santa  Cruz  Eiveris  one  of  those 
erratic  streams,  common  in  thisWest- 
ern  Country,  which  run  for  a  distance 
on  the  surface,  then  beneath  the 
ground,  again  on  top,  and  so  on.  In 
its  strange  course  it  so  happens,  that 
the  river  comes  to  the  surface  about 
two  miles  south  of  Tucson  and  runs 
past  the  mesa  on  which  the  town  is 
built,  and  thus  makes  some  thre^ 
thousand  or  more  acres  of  land  capa- 
ble of  irrigation  and  consequently  of 
cultivation.  In  this  rich  bottom  years 
ago  the  old  mission  church  of  Tucson 
was  built  by  the  Jesuits,  and  to  pro- 
tect the  cultivators  of  the  adjoining 
fields  a  presidio  or  military  camp  was 
established;  and  for  self- protection 
incoming  settlers  congregated  about 
the  garrison  and  thus  the  town  grew 
upon  its  present  site." 

The  City  of  Tucson  was  incorpora- 
ted February  7th,  1877,  and  the  South- 
ern Pacific  Railroad  was  completed  to 
it,  March  10th,  1880.  Its  present  popu- 
lation is  estimated  between  8,000  and 
9,000;  composed  of  Spanish,  Mexican, 
Indian,  American,  and  English  speak- 
ing people.  The  streets  are  regularlv 
laid  out,  are  narrow  with  the  usual 


Mexican  Plaza.  In  the  older  portion 
of  the  city  the  buildings  are  con- 
structed of  adobe,  one  story,  in  the 
old  Spanish-Mexican  style  (where  one 
goes  out  of  doors  to  get  into  each 
room)  with  an  occasional  one  of  wood, 
sandwiched  in  here  and  there,  and  oc- 
cupied by  the  most  enterprising  busi- 
ness men,— or  more  recent  arrivals— 
those  who  come  with  the  Railroad. 

The  business  portion  of  Tucson,  is 
about  half  a  mile  west  of  the  depot, 
between  which,and  the  depot  are  some 
fine  private  residences  of  wood,  one 
large  hotel— Porter's  — commodious 
depot  and  freight  buildings,  and  many 
other  modern  structures  in  course  of 
erection.  The  Railroad  Co.  have  a 
round-house  and  quite  extensive  ma- 
chine and  repair  shops  located  here. 

The  city  supports  three  daily  news- 
papers, the  Citizen,  Star,  and  the 
Journal,  besides  several  weeklies. 

Gas,  Water,  and  Street  Railroad 
Companies  have  been  chartered  and 
the  present  prospects  are,  that  the 
citizens  of  Tucson  Will  soon  be  able  to 
enjoy  all  those  luxuries.  There  are 
quite  a  number  of  hotels,  principal  of 
which  are  Porter's  at  the  depot,  and 
the  Palace,  at  the  old  town.  There 
are  two  banks ;  three  flouring  mills ; 
two  breweries  ;two  ice  manufactories ; 
one  foundry  and  machine  shop;  six 
churches  and  church  organizations; 
four  schools  —  public  and  private; 
eight  wholesale  dry  goods  houses; 
sixty-six  dry  goods  and  grocery  stores 
and  the  usual  number  of  shops  of  all 
kinds  found  in  a  city  of  the  size.  As  a 
law-and- order-city,  Tucson  has  few 
equals.  The  carrying  of  weapons  and 
drunkenness  is  severely  punished  by 
fine  and  imprisonment. 

The  United  States  Depository  for 
the  District  of  Arizona  and  the  United 
States  Custom  House,  and  the  Deputy 
Collector  of  Internal  Revenue,  as  well 
as  the  Surveyor  Gen'l  Office  of  Arizo- 
na, is  located  here. 

There  are  about  3000  acres  of  land  in 
the  vicinity  of  Tucson  susceptible  of 
irrigation ;  but  it  is  all  taken  up  and 
title  can  only  be  had  by  purchase  from 
private  individuals.  The  valley  of 
Santa  Cruz,  in  which  most  of  the  land 
referred  to  is  located,  is  very  rich, 
and  with  irrigation,  capable  of  pro- 
ducing two  crops  annually— corn  in 


crofutt's  new  overland  tourist 


the  spring  and  wheat  in  the  fall. 

Game  is  not  abundant  in  the  vicinity 
of  Tucson,  but  bear,  deer,  antelope 
and  wild  turkeys  can  be  found  in 
the  foot-hills  and    mountains. 

The  road  south  from  Tucson,  along 
up  the  Santa  Cruz  Valley,  has  been 
for  near  300  years  the  great  highway 
between  Mexico  and  Arizona,  leading 
directly  to  the  harbor  of  Guaymas. 
We  understand  a  plan  is  now  matur- 
ing by  capitalists,  to  parallel  this  old 
road  with  iron  rails  and  the  time  is 
not  far  distant,  in  the  nature  of  things, 
when  this  route  will  be  traversed  by 
the  "Iron  Horse." 

Eesorts,— in  and  around  the  city  :— 
Silver  Lake,  is  southwest  of  the  city, 
half  a  mile  distant;  is  caused  by  a 
dam  in  the  Santa  Cruz  Eiver,  and  ex- 
tends over  several  acres ;  a  race-track 
is  adjacent.  Boats,  bath-houses, 
swimming  baths,  groves,  pavilions, 
hotels,  etc.,  are  provided  for  the  ac- 
commodation of  visitors. 

Levin's  Park— situated  on  the  west 
side  and  near  the  heart  of  the  city,  in 
a  grove  of  cottonwoods,  seven  acres 
in  extent,  in  which  are  located  a  the- 
atre, music  pavilion,  billiards,  bowl- 
ing, bar,  baths,  brewery,  restaurant, 
shooting  gallery,  etc.,  and  is  patron- 
ized, at  times,  by  all  classes. 

San  Xavier  del  Bag— is  an  old  mis- 
sion— nine  miles  south  of  the  city,  in 
Santa  Cruz  Yalley,  over  100  years  old, 
erected  by  the  Jesuits,  for  the  purpose 
of  saving  the  souls  of  the  Papago  In- 
dians. Travelers  visiting  Tucson  usu- 
ally take  a  run  down  to  this  old  mis- 
sion— where,  strange  as  it  may  seem 
— the  Mexicans  are  wont  to  congre- 
gate at  certain  seasons  of  the  year,  to 
witness  bull-fights  that  take  place  in 
the  vicinity. 

Aqua  Calient  a— Mineral  warm 
springs — are  situated  l-i  miles  east  of 
the  city  at  the  foot  of  the  Mountains, 
and  are  said  to  possess  medical  quali- 
ties. The  water  is  88  degrees  Fahren- 
heit, and  contains  soda,  magnesia, 
iron  and  sulphur.  Cottages  and  am- 
ple hotel  accommodations  are  pro- 
vided for  the  public. 

Camp  Lowell— Military  headquar- 
ters for  the  Arizona— is  seven  miles 
east  from  the  city,  and  is  much  visited 
by  the  citizens  of  Tucson. 

The  mountain   system   as   viewed 


from  Tucson  is  quite  extensive.  To 
the  east,  and  north-east,  is  the  jagged 
mountain  range  of  SantaCatarina,  ris- 
ing from  the  plain,  about  twelve  miles 
from  the  city,  to  the  height  of  near 
2,000  feet.  Turning  to  the  south,  the 
Santa  Kitas,  boldly  appear  in  a  succes- 
sion of  peaks,  the  highest,  Mt.  Wright- 
son,  over  10,000  feet  above  the  plain, 
from  twenty-five  to 'fifty  miles  dist- 
ant ;  while  more  to  westward,  can  be 
seen  the  Atacoso  Mountains,  at  the 
base  of  which  is  located  the  old  town 
of  Tubac,  and  the  old  mission  of  Tu- 
macacori.  Returning  to  the  immedi- 
ate vicinity  o£  the  city,  the  Sierra  Del 
Tucson— clos^  the  view  to  the  west- 
ward, rising  from  just  across  the  val- 
ley, completing  one  of  the  most  beau- 
tiful and  interesting  landscapes  of 
mountain  and  plain ;  which  with  the 
wonderous  hues  of  Arizona's  gorgeous 
sunsets,  completes  a  picture  that  none 
but  the  hand  of  the  Great  Maker  can 
produce. 

Stages  leave  Tucson  as  follows: 
Arivaca,  65  miles,  and  Oro  Blanco,  77 
miles — three  times  a  week — Monday, 
Wednesday  and  Saturday.  Tubac,  60 
miles,  and  Calabasas,  67  miles,  twice 
a  week — Tues.  and  Sat.  Silver  Hill, 
46  miles,  and  Silver  Bell,  55  miles, 
twice  a  week— Mon.  and  Thurs.  Old 
Hat  District,  45  miles,  three  times  a 
week,  Mon. ,  Wed .  and  Fri.  Fort  Low- 
ell, 9  miles,  and  San  Xavier,  7  miles- 
daily.  Magdalena,  130  miles,  Hermo- 
sillo,  275  miles,  and  Guaymas,  370 
miles,,  twice  a  week — Tues.  and  Sat. 
*Altar,  150  miles,  and  Guaymas  via  Al- 
tar, 420  miles,  twice  a  week— Mon.  and 
Wed.  Fare,  from  six  to  twenty  cents 
per  mile,  varying  with  competition. 

The  "life  of  trade"  at  Tucson,  is  de- 
rived from  the  mining  industry.  It  is 
the  great  outfitting  point  for  nearly 
every  mining  district  in  the  territory, 
also,' for  many  of  the  mines  and  camps 
in  Sonora.  There  are  29  mining  dis- 
tricts within  a  radius  of  100  miles  from 
Tucson ;  the  greater  number  of  which 
purchase  all  their  supplies  in  that 
city.  Some  of  the  mines  are  exceed- 
ingly rich  in  gold,  silver,  lead  and 
copper,  and  the  rapid  increase  of 
precious  metals  is  most  wonderful. 
Wells,  Fargo  and  Co's  report  of  the 
yield  for  1880,  was  $4,472,471 ;  for  1881, 
$8,198,766,  an  increase,  in  one  year,  of 


PACIFIC   COAST    GUIDE. 


239 


THE  SANTA  RITAS— NEAR  MT.  WRIGHTSON. 


$3,726,295.    Arizona  is  not  only  rich  in 

grecious  metals,  with  a  mild  and 
ealthful  climate,  but  is  sufficiently 
dry  and  warm  to  convince  the  most 
skeptical  in  the  authenticity  of  cer- 
tain old  bible  versions  which  shall  be 
nameless  in  this  connection.  Suffice 
it  to  say,  below  we  give  the  minimum 
and  maximum  of  Eainfall  and  Tem- 

gerature,  as  recorded  at  the  following 
■overnment  Forts  and  Camps  in  Ari- 
zona for  a  term  of  years : 

NAME.  BAINFAIili.      TEMPEBAT. 

Fort  Yuma,  (Yuma  City)  3.84  inch.  35  to  112  deg. 

Fort  Prescott,  (Prescott)  27.09  "  10  to   91  " 

Fort  Bowie 14.60  "  21  to  103   " 

Camp  Lowell,  (Tucson) .  10.83  "  19  to  113  " 

Camp  Grant 22.54  "  16  to  109  " 

Camp  Apache .13.21  "  6  to  104  " 

Camp  McDowell 14.09  "  18  to  114" 

CampMojava 13.40  "  27  to  118  " 

Camp  Verde 14.20  "  5toll3" 

Average 14.07  inch.  17  to  100  deg. 

But  the  hardy  miner  and  prospector 
does  not  seem  to  give  the  weather  a 
passing  thought.  We  meet  him  every- 
where, going  right  along  with  his 
pockets  full  of  "prospects,"  selling  his 
claims ;  buying  his  '%rub ;"  punching 
his  "burro,"  and  taking  a  "smile"  re- 
gardless of  the  weather  or  anything 
else. 

For  Arizona  items  of  interest,  see 
Annex  No.  64. 

Leaving  Tucson,  our  course  is 
south-east,  over  a  broad  plain  cov- 


ered with  sage,  mesquite,  and  grease- 
wood,  14.6  miles  to  Papago,  a  small 
sidetrack  station,  from  which  we  run 
up  Rillito  Creek  13.5  miles  to 

Pantano — a  small  station  of  half  a 
dozen  buildings,  and  one  store,  be- 
sides good  depot  and  freight  build- 
ings. This  is  the  nearest  shipping 
point  on  the  railroad  for  several  im- 
portant mining  districts,  towns,  and 
camps.  Chief  of  which  are:  Total 
Wreck,  4  miles;  Harshaw,  50  miles; 
Patagonia,  60  miles ;  and  Washington, 
64  miles.  Daily  stages  run  to  all  these 
places ;  fare,  from  10  to  15  cents  per 
mile. 

Since  leaving  Tucson,  we  have  been 
climbing  the  world,  and  at  Pantano 
are  1,297  feet  higher,  or  3,536  feet  ele- 
vation. 

Mescal— is  the  next  station,  9.3 
miles  from  Pantano,  and  8.6  miles 
from 

Benson— At  present  this  is  a  lively 
place.  It  is  situated  in  San  Pedro 
Valley;  elevation,  3.578  feet;  and  is 
the  shipping  jDoint  for  the  celebrated 
Tombstone  Mining  District  and  many 
thrifty  mining  towns  to  the  south- 
ward; several  large  stores  and  for- 
warding houses  are  located  here;  a 
hotel,  several  small  shops',  a  large  de- 
pot, and  extensive  freight  ware  houses 
together  with  an  immense  amount  of 


240 


CBOFUTT'S  NEW  OVERLAND  TOURIST 


railroad  construction  materials;  as 
this  is  the  initial  point  from  which 
the  Atchison.  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe 
Railroad  Co.  are  building  a  railroad 
southward,  some  people  say,  to  Guay- 
mas,  onthe  Gulf  of  California;  but, 
we  could  procure  no  definite  informa- 
tion. Certain  it  is,  the  road  is  com- 
pleted to  Contention,  18  miles,  and 
still  going  forward ;  yet,  at  the  time 
of  our  visit,  Jan.  14th,  1882,  no  pas- 
senger trains  were  running;  stages 
were  leaving  Benson  daily  for  Con- 
tention. 18  miles,  and  Tombstone,  30 
miles;  fare,  $2.00  and  $3.00  respect- 
ively. Freight  for  the  Mexican  state 
of  Sonora  is  forwarded  from  Benson, 
in  immense  quantities,  the  passenger 
travel  is  also  an  important  item. 

San  Pedro  Valley  is  one  of  the  rich- 
est stock  raising  portions  of  Arizona, 
grass  being  abundant,  and  water  suf- 
ficient for  that  purpose.  The  lands 
are  mostly  owned  by  the  Spanish- 
Mexican  settlers,  who  are  "like  the 
dog  in  the  manger,"  opposed  to  new 
comers,cultivating  only  small  patches 
of  ground  and  raising  only  what  they 
need  for  their  own  subsistance. 

The  Tombstone  Mining  District,  has 
attracted  more  attention  than  any 
other  in  the  territory.  The  principal 
mines  of  this  district,  lie  about  eight 
miles  east  of  the  San  Pedro  River,  in 
alow  cluster  of  hills,  called  the  Tomb- 
stone Mountains. 

Sorin  says :  The  region  of  country 
embraced  in  the  Tombstone  District, 
has  long  been  known  to  contain  min- 
eral. The  first  discovery  of  silver  in 
this  locality  was  at  the  "Old  Bronco 
Mine,"  six  miles  southwest  of  Tomb- 
stone town.  The  exact  date  of  the 
first  location  is  not  known,  but  the 
old  Bronco  mine  has  been  worked  in 
years  gone  by,  and  produced  some 
good  ore.  There  is  a  dark  history 
connected  with  this  mine,  and  it  is 
said  no  less  than  sixteen  men  have 
been  killed  or  murdered  there.  The 
discovery  of  the  new  mines  was  made 
in  February,  1878,  and  the  extra  ordi- 
nary richness  was  soon  noised  abroad, 
and  prospectors  from  all  parts  of  the 
country  nocked  in  and  many  hundred 
claims  were  recorded.  There  are  four 
towns  in  the  Tombstone  District, 
Tombstone,  Richmond,  Charleston, 
and  Contention.  Tombstone,  the  prin- 


cipal town,  is  near  the  Tough-  Nut 
group  of  mines,  and  is  already  a  thriv- 
ing city  of  several  thousand  people. 
Richmond,  about  one  and  a  half  miles 
south  of  Tombstone,  has  a  number  of 
business  houses.  Charleston,  on  the 
San  Pedro  River,  where  the  Tomb- 
stone and  Corbin  mills  are  located,  is 
quite  a  thriving  village  of  from  500  to 
600  population.  Contention  City,  is 
also  on  the  San  Pedro,  nine  miles  be- 
low, at  the  Contention  Mill,  is  an  im- 
portant place,  connected  with  Benson 
by  railroad,  and  is  growing  rapidly. 
The  principal  ore  producing  mines  m 
the  district  are:  The  Tough  Nut 
group;  the  Lucky  Cuss  mine  and 
group;  Contention,  Grand  Central, 
Empire,  Sunset,  Emerald,  and  many 
others  that  prospect  rich.  Leaving 
Benson  our  direction  changes  to  the 
northeast,  and  we  commence  to  climb 
the  Dragoon  Mountains ;  passing  O- 
CHOA,  a  side-track  in  9.7  miles,  from 
which  it  is  9.4  miles  more  to 

Dragoon  Sommit— altitude,  4,- 
614  feet.  This  point  is  a  natural  pass, 
apparently  designed  by  nature  for  a 
railroad,  between  the  Dragoon  Moun- 
tains, on  the  south,  and  the  Limestone 
Mountains  on  the  north ;  the  grade  is 
easy  and  the  work  of  grading  was 
light.  Reports,  locate  recent  discov- 
eries of  rich  minerals  in  the  moun- 
tains near  this  station. 

C/achise— is  ten  miles  east  of  the 
summit,  named  for  a  noted  Indian 
chief,  who  for  twelve  years  was  the 
head  devil  of  the  Apache  Indians,  and 
made'his  headquarters  in  the  moun- 
tains near.  He  believed  that  he  and 
his -tribe  had  suffered  great  wrongs, 
and'  most  fearfully  did  he  revenge 
them.  He  has  been  dead  but  a  few 
years,  and  the  remnant  of  his  tribe  are 
now  eating  at  "Uncle  Sam's"  table  on 
the  San  Carlos  reservation. 

Descending  into  Sulphur  Spring 
Valley,  10.8  miles  from  Cachise,  we 
reach 

Willcox— a  thriving  town  of  about 
250  population,  situated  in  Sulphur 
Spring  Valley,  is  the  centre  of  trade 
for  quite  an  extensive  stock-raising 
and  mining  region.  Altitude,  4,164 
feet.  The  Dos  Cabezas  peaks,  where 
some  rich  mines  of  gold  and  silver 
are  being  developed,  are  twelve  miles 
southeast  from   this  station.   Camp 


PACIFIC  COAST    GUIIE. 


241 


Bowie,  20  miles. 

The  valley,  in  which  Willcox  is  situ- 
ated, extends  north  and  south  about 
50  miles  each  way,  and  lies  between 
the  mountain  ranges  of  Sierra  Bonita 
and  Chiricahua,  on  the  east,  and  the 
Galinro  and  Dragoon  on  the  west. 
The  lower  portion  is  called  Sulphur 
Spring  Valley,  and  the  upper,  Ariv- 
aypa  Valley.  There  is  no  stream  of 
note  in  these  valleys,  but  along  the 
base  of  the  ranges  of  mountains  and 
in  the  foot-hills  are  many  fine  springs 
and  some  brooks.  The  grass  in  and 
around  these  valleys  is  very  rich  and 
abundant;  and  it  is  recognised  by 
stock  men  as  one  of  the  best  stock 
ranges  in  the  Territory.    At  several 

goints  in  the  valley  sulphur  springs 
ave  been  discovered,  and  at  one 
place  deposits  of  salt  cover  several 
square  miles.  At  Willcox,  and  in  fact 
throughout  the  valley,  an  abundance 
of  good  water  can  bo  obtained  by  dig- 

Sing  wells  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet  in 
epth. 

Stages  leave  here,  every  other  day, 
for  Fort  Grant,  24  miles ;  Camp  Tho- 
mas, 64  miles ;  San  Carlos,  99  miles, 
and  Globe,  132  miles.  Fares,  about  15 
cents  per  mile. 

From  Willcox  to  Eailroad  Pass,  8.3 
miles,  we  ascend  230  feet,  reaching  an 
elevation  of  4,394  feet,  the  highest  point 
reached  by  the  Southern  Pacific  Kail- 
road  on  its  whole  line.  From  this 
"pass,"  we  descend  635  feet  in  the 
next  15.4  miles  and  arrive  at 

Boirie— situated  in  the  San  Simon 
Valley,  and  at  this  time,  prospects  to 
soon  becomjB  a  place  of  much  import- 
ance. It  is  a  regular  dining  station ; 
at  the  Campbell  house,  in  front  of 
which  all  through  passenger  trains 
stop,  the  accommodations  for  guests 
are  first-class,  and  the  meals  served 
the  best  on  the  road.  Water,  for  use 
at  the  station,  is  obtained  from  a  well 
300  feet  in  depth,  but  in  many  places 
in  the  valley  it  can  be  obtained  from 
25  to  75  feet.  Thus,  it  will  be  readily 
understood  that  the  San  Simon  Val- 
ley is  not  adapted  to  agriculture,  and 
to  only  a  limited  extent  for  stock 
raising,  wholly  on  account  of  the 
scarcity  of  water,  as  the  soil  is  rich, 
and  the  rainfall  at  certain  seasons, 
just  sufiQcient  to  cover  the  whole  face 
of  the  land  with  a  coating  of  nutriti- 


ous grasses.  This  valley  opens  in 
New  Mexico  and  extends  in  a  north- 
western direction  for  near  100  miles  to 
a  junction  with  the  Gila,  affording  a 
natural  road-way  from  this  station  to 
the  valleys  and  mining  region  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  Territory. 

We  understand  a  railroad  is  pro- 
jected down  the  San  Simon  Valley, 
with  the  coal  fields  of  the  San  Carlos 
Indian  Eeservation,  as  an  objective 
point  100  miles  distant,  and  that  a 
stage  line  is  soon  to  be  put  on  this 
route  which  will  reach  Camp  Grant  in 
28  miles ;  Camp  Thomas,  75  miles ;  and 
Globe  in  135  miles;  already  a  large 
amount  of  freight  is  forwarded  from 
Bowie  for  the  towns.  Gov,  camps,  and 
mines  of  this  region. 

Fort  Bowie,  is  15  miles  south,  but 
we  understand,  it  will  be  moved  to 
near  this  station,  at  an  early  day. 

The  Bowie  Milling  and  Mining  Co.. 
who  own  70  gold  and  silver  claims, 
ranging  from  four  to  fifteen  milefi 
south,  are  about  erecting  at  this  sta  • 
tion  a  40  stamp  mill  to  be  run  by 
electricity. 

From  Bowie  it  is  15.7  miles  to  th^ 
small  station  of 

San  Simon— from  which  a  stage 
runs  daily  to  Gayleyville,  22  milea» 
Fare,  $4.00. 

The  territorial  line  is  crossed  10.& 
miles  east  from  San  Simon  Statiou 
and  3.8  miles  further  we  are  at 

Steini§  Pass— altitude,  4,351.  It  i? 
reported,  there  are  some  good  min- 
eral prospects  near.  From  this  sta- 
tion eastward  to  the  Rio  Grande  River 
there  are  few  objects  of  interest  to  the 
traveler.  The  face  of  the  land  is  cov- 
ered with  a  rich  growth  of  grass,  but 
devoid  of  water,  except  an  occasiona) 
little  lake  or  sink  strongly  impreg- 
nated with  alkali. 

Pyramid  —  a  small  station  is 
reached  in  15.1  miles,  from  which  it  i& 
4.4  miles  to 

IjOrdsburg- This  is  the  shipping 
point  for  Clifton,  a  celebrated  copper 
mining  town,  80  miles  to  the  north- 
west. Where  are  located  large  smelt- 
ing furnaces,  turning  out  daily  over  a 
carload  of  bullion.  Hydraulic  works 
are  also  being  erected  to  work  placer 
claims  in  the  vicinity.  Stages  leave 
Lordsburg  Mondays  and  Thursdays, 
for  Clifton.    Fare,  $10. 


crofutt's  new  overland  tourist 


South  fromLordsburg,  two  miles,  is 
the  little  mining  camp  of  Shakespeare, 
where  is  located  a  smelting  furnace. 
The  ores,  gold  and  silver,  are  said  to 
be  rich. 

The  altitude  of  Lordsburg  is  4,245 
feet.  It  is  situated  on  a  broad  plain, 
and  being  devoid  of  water  the  Eail- 
road  Company  was  compelled  to  dig 
for  it.  At  a  depth  of  100  feet  their 
boreing  intrument  entered  a  ledge  of 
mineral,  and  followed  it  500  feet.  The 
assays,  made  in  San  Francisco,  run 
from  $50  to  $3,700  per  ton.  After  these 
facts  became  known  to  a  few  of  the 
officials  of  the  road,  the  necessary  pa- 
pers were  filed  to  secure  the  find ;  wa- 
ter was  ignored  as  a  useless  commod- 
ity and  the  "smile"  of  satisfaction 
pervading  the  countenances  of  these 
lucky — embroyo— nabobs— wa*s  of  that 
brilliant  hue,  which  dispelled  all 
thought  of  water  for  the  future.  This 
prospect  was  sold  recently,  to  the 
^'WallSt.Gold  and  Silver  Mining  Co.," 
for  $2,000,000,  who  are  now  developing 
the  property  and  erecting  a  stamp 
mill  and  smelting  works  near  the  sta- 
tion. 

Leaving  Lordsburg,  we  pass  the  fol- 
lowing small  stations:  Lisbon,  10.7 
miles;  Separ,  9  miles;  Wilna,  11,6 
miles;  Gage,  8.8  miles;  Tunis,  11.1 
miles,  and  8.4  miles  further,  we  are  at 

©eminff— The  junction  of  Atchi- 
son, Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Bailroad, 
where  a  connection  was  made  with 
the  Southern  Pacific,  March  8th,  1881. 

Deming,  for  the  first  year  after  the 
roads  reached  it,  was  cursed  by 
swarms  of  the  most  vile  and  danger- 
ous classes  of  humanity,  resulting  in 
many  desperate  and  bloody  encount- 
ers.   This  scum,  has  now,  nearly  all 


floated  away,  leaving  only  a  few  stores 
and  saloons,  a  few  hundred  yards  to 
the  south  from  the  station,  which  ap- 
pear to  be  ekeing  out  a  miserable 
existence  on  a  very  limited  patronage. 
The  EailroadCompanies  have  erect- 
ed at  this  "junction"  a  large  hotel  and 
depot  building,  in  which  are  located 
the  usual  waiting  rooms,  ticket  and 
telegraph  offices,  etc.,  with  a  large 
freight  ware  house,  a  short  distance 
to  the  westward.  The  hotel— Deming 
House-  -contains  25  rooms;  with  baths, 
hot  and  cold  water,  and  is  a  regular 
eating  station  for  all  passenger  trains. 
Six  horse  stages  leave  Deming  dai- 
ly for  Silver  City  and  intermediate 
points,  carrying  passengers,  mails, 
and  Wells,  Fargo  &  Co's  and  Adam's 
&  Co's  express,  through  in  eight 
hours,  distance  52  miles.  At  Silver 
City  connections  are  made  with  stages 
for  Fort  Bayard,  9  miles ;  Santa  Rita 
Copper  Mines,  21  miles;  Georgetown, 
28  miles ;  Mogollon  Mines,  80  miles, 
and  Clifton,  100  miles.  Fare,  about 
15  cents  per  mile. 

Distances  from  Deming:  Tucson,  220 
miles ;  Yuma,  467  miles ;  Los  Angeles, 
711  miles ;  San  Francisco,  1198  miles ; 
O^den,  Utah,  via  San  Francisco,  2,080 
miles;  Omaha,  Neb.,  via  Utah,  3,112 
miles;  Albuquerque,  N. M.,  231  miles; 
Santa  Fe,  N.  M.,  316  miles;  El  Paso, 
Tex., 88  miles ;  New  Orleans,viaT.& P  , 
from  El  Paso,  1172  miles :  Denver,  Co'  . 
via  La  Junta,  761  miles ;  viaEspanola, 
711  miles ;  Kansas  City,  1149  miles. 

With  Deming, we  conclude  our  des- 
criptions,f or  this  volume  of  the"Over- 
land,"  and  refer  our  readers  to  the 
Time  Tables  of  the  several  diverging 
Railroad  lines  from  Deming  and  El 
Paso. 


For  many  items  of  general  interest,  see  Annex,  commencing  on  opposite  page. 
For  information  in  regard  to  Arizona,  see  Annex,  No.  64. 

^"'aiW^EK'a,?'''^'''^  CROFUTT'S  aRIP-SACK  GUM 

49-SOIJ>  ON  THE  TRAINS.'^ 


STATE  CAPITOL  OF  CALIFO 


lA,  (See  Annex  No.  15.) 


(16.) 


.ei.  :nsr  isT  IE  x:. 


245 


In  rapid  succession  we  pass  the  better  residence 
of  the  "  old  settler,"  with  his  immense  fields  of 
grain  and  herds  of  stock,  on  beyond  the  boundaries 
of  earlier  settlements ;  and  now  we  reach  the  rude 
cabin  of  the  hardy  settler  who  has  located  still 
"farther  west,"  and  here,  within  a  few  years,  will 
arise  a  home  as  attractive  as  those  we  have  left 
behind,  surrounded  with  orchards,  gardens  and 
flocks.  Here,  too,  will  the  snug  school-house  be 
found,  and  the  white  church  with  its  tapering 
spire,  pointing  the  people  to  the  abode  of  Him 
who  hath  so  richly  blessed  his  childiea.  There  is 
beauty  on  every  hand.  The  wild  prairie  flowers, 
of  a  thousand  difi'erent  hues  and  varieties,  greet 
the  eye  at  every  step;  and  the  tiniest  foot  that 
ever  trod  Broadway  could  scarce  reach  the  ground 
without  crushing  the  life  from  out  some  of 
these  emblems  of  purity.  And  when  the  cooling 
showers  have  moistened  the  thirsty  earth,  or  when 
the  morning  dew  is, spangling  flower,  vine  and 
tree,  there  is  more  of  quiet,  graceful  beauty— more 
of  that  spirit  floating  around  us  which  renders 
man  more  human,  and  woman  nearer  what  we 
desire  her  to  be,  than  can  be  found  within  the 
walls  of  any  city .  Long  will  the  memory  of  ihese 
scene?  remain  impressed  on  the  mind  of  the  trav- 
eler who  admires  nature  in  all  her  phases. 

For  a  long  time,  Iowa,  Indiana,  Michigan  and 
Ohio  were  supposed  to  contain  the  whe^it-grow- 
ing  soil  of  the  Union,  and  they  became  known  as 
the  ''  Granaries  of  the  States . "  But  those  "  gran- 
aries "  have  pushed  themselves  a  little  "  farther 
west,"  if  we  may  be  allowed  to  use  the  expression. 
Nebraska  has  retained  a  portion  of  the  name ; 
California  and  Oregon  took  the  remainder.  Ne- 
braska annually  produces  a  large  sarplus  of  wheat 
and  corn,  which  finds  its  way  eastward.  With 
the  advantages  possessed  by  this  State ;  with  a 
water-front  of  several  hundred  miles  on  a  stream 
navigable  the  greater  portion  of  the  year;  with 
the  grandest  railroad  on  the  continent  traversing 
her  entire  breadth ;  with  all  the  resources  of  com- 
merce at  her  command:  wi»h  unlimited  watei 
power  for  manufactures,  it  will  be  strange,  indeed, 
if  Nebraska  does  not  sustain  her  high  rank  in  the 
great  family  of  States. 

From  our  present  stand-ooint  the  quotation, 
"Westward  the  Star  of  Empire  Takes  Its 
Way,"  must  apply  to 

The  Far  West— How  often  that  sentence 
has  been  quoted,  those  who  atre  the  most  familiar 
with  the  growth  of  our  western  possessions 
can  best  remember.  So  often  has  it  been  ut- 
tered, that  it  has  passed  into  a  household  word, 
and  endowed  its  innocent  and  unsuspecting 
author  with  an  earthly  immortality.  From  the 
boyhood  days  of  that  reliable  and  highly  re- 
spectable individual,  the  "Oldest  Inhabi- 
tant" of  any  special  locality  in  the -"Eastern 
Stales,"  it  has  formed  the  heading— in  large  or 
small  caps — of  nearly  every  newspaper  notice 
which  chronicled  the  fact  that  some  family  had 
packed  their  household  goods  and  gods  (mostly 
goods)  and  left  their  native  land  of  woods,  rocks, 
churches  and  school-houses,  to  seek  a  home 
among  the  then  mythical  prairies  ef  the  "Far 
West.  '  But  oh !  in  later  years,  how  that  quotation 
ran  across  the  double  columns  of  these  same 
papers  in  all  conceivable  forms  of  type,  when 
the  fact  was  chronicled  that  one  of  our  West- 
ern Territories  was  admitted  as  a  State  into  the 
Union . 

Well,  but  where  was  your  "Far  West"  then^ 
where  people  went  when  they  had  "Westward, 
hoi  "  on  the  brain?  asks  one,  who  speaks  of  the 
West  as  that  part  of  our  country  which  lies  be- 
tween the  Bummit  of  the  Kocky  Mountains  and 


the  waters  of  the  Pacific  Ocean?  Well,  the  "Far 
West"  ot  that  time,  that  almost  mythical  region, 
wab  what  now  constitutes  those  vast  and  furlila 
prairies  which  lie  south  and  west  of  the  great 
lakes,  and  east  of  and  bordering  on  the  Mississippi 
Kiver.  All  west  of  that  was  a  olank ;  the  home  of 
the  savage,  the  wild  beast,  and  all  unclean  things 
—at  least  so  said  the  "  Oldest  Inhabitant."  i 

But  our  hardy  pioneers  passed  the  Rubicon, 
and  the  West  receded  before  their  advance.  Mis- 
souri was  peopled,  and  the  Father  of  Waters  be- 
came the  great  natural  highway  of  a  mighty  com- 
merce, sustained  in  equal  parts  by  the  populous 
and  newly  made  States  lying  on  both  its  banks, 
which  had  been  carved  but  of  the  "  Far  West "  by 
the  hands  of  the  hardy  pioneers.  i 

Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Michigan,  Minnesota, 
Missouri  and  Iowa,  had  joined  the  sifcterhood, 
and  yet  the  tide  of  emigration  stayed  not.  It  tra- 
versed the  trackless  desert,  scaled  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  and  secured  a  foothold  in  Oregon, 
But  it  passed  not  by  unheeding  the  rich  valleys 
and  bioad  prairies  of  Nebraska,  which  retained 
what  became,  with  subsequent  additions,  a  per- 
manent and  thriving  population.  Then  the  yel- 
low gold,  which  had  been  found  in  California, 
drew  the  tide  of  emigration  thitherward,  and  in  a 
few  years  our  golden-haired  sister  was  added  to 
the  number  comprisingthe  States  of  the  Union. 

Oregon  and  Nevada  on  the  western  slope,  Kan- 
sas and  Nebraska  on  the  east,  followed,  and,  later, 
c  olorado,  and  still  we  have  Dakota,  Idaho,  Mon- 
tana, Washington,  Utah,  Arizona,  and  New  Mex- 
ico Territories,  to  say  nothing  of  Alaska,  wailing 
ihe  time  when  they  too  shall  be  competent  to  add 
their  names  to  the  roll  of  honor  and  enter  the 
Union  on  an  ecuality  with  the  others.  Thus  we 
see  that  the  "Far  West"  of  to-day  has  become 
far  removed  from  the  West  of  thirty— or  even  ten- 
years  ago,  and  what  is  now  the  central  portion  of 
our  commonwealth  was  then  the  Far.,  Far  West. 

All  is  Changed— To-day  the  foam  crested 
waves  of  the  Pacific  Ocean  bear  on  their  bosoms  a 
mighty  and  steadily  increasing  commerce. 
China,  Japan,  Australia,  the  Sandwich  Islands, 
South  America,  and  the  Orient  are  at  our  doors. 

A  rich,  powerful,  populous  section,  comprising 
three  States,  has  arisen,  where  but  a  few  years 
since  the  Jesuit  missions  among  the  savages  wero 
the  only  marks  of  civilization.  And  all  over  the 
once  unknown  waste,  amid  the  cosy  valleys  and  on 
the  broad  plains,  are  the  scattered  homes  of  the 
hardy  and  brave  pioneer  husbandmen ;  while  the 
bleak  mountains — once  I  he  home  of  the  savage  and 
wild  beast,  the  deep  gulches  and  gloomy  canyons, 
are  illuminated  with  the  perpetual  fires  of  the 
"  smelting  furnaces,"  the  ring  of  pick,  shovel  and 
drill,  the  clatter  of  stamps  and  booming  of  blasts, 
all  tell  of  the  presence  ol  the  miner,  and  the 
streams  of  wealth  which  are  daily  flowing  into  our 
national  cofi"ers  are  rapidly  increasing  ;  for,  just  in 
proportion  as  the  individupl  becomes  enriched,  to 
does  his  country  partake  of  his  fortune.  | 

Condensed  History— it  is  only  a  score  of 
years  ago  since  the  Government  of  the  United 
States,  in  order  to'  better  protect  her  citizens  that 
had  spread  themselves  over  the  wild  expanse  of 
country  between  the  Missouri  River  and  the  Pa- 
cific Ocean,  and  from  the  Mexican  on  the  south 
and  the  British  possessions  on  the  north,  estab- 
lished a  system  of  military  forts  and  posts,  extend- 
ing north  and  south,  east  and  west,  over  this  Terri- 
tory. Though  productive  of  much  good,  they  wero 
not  sufficient  to  meet  the  requirements  of  tho 
times,  and  in  many  places  settlers  and  miners 
were  murdered  with  impunity  by  the  Indians. 
Wise  men  regarded  rapid  emigration  as  the  only 


246 


-A.  isr  isr  IB  x:. 


eafe  plan  of  security,  and  this  could  not  be  accom- 
plished without  swifter,  surer,  aud  cheaper  means 
of  transporting  the  poor,  who  would  gladly  avail 
themselves  of  the  opportunity  to  possess  a  free 
fai-m,  or  reach  the  gold  fields  of  the  West.  The 
railroad  and  telegraph — twin  sisters  of  civilization 
— ^were  talked  of,  but  old  fogies  shook  their  heads 
in  the  plentitude  of  their  wisdom,  piously  crossed 
themselves,  and  clasped  with  a  firmer  grasp  their 
money  bags,  when  Young  America  dared  broach 
the  subject,  "No,  sir,  no;  the  thing  is  totally 
absurd;  impracticable,6ir ;  don't  talk  any  more  of 
Buch  nonsense  to  me,"  they  would  reply,  as  they 
turned  away  to  go  to  their  church  or  to  their  stock 
gambling  in  Wall  street— probably  the  latter  occu- 
pation. But  Young  America  did  not  give  up  to 
this  theory  or  accept  the  dictum  of  Moneybags ; 
p.nd  as  the  counties  of  the  West  grew  and  ex- 
panded under  the  mighty  tide  of  immigration, 
they  clamored  for  a  safe  and  speedy  transit  be- 
tween them  and  their  "Fatherland.'"  Government 
vlth  its  usual  red-tape  delays  and  scientific  way  of 
how  not  to  do  it,  heeded  not  the  appeal,  until  the 
red  hand  of  War— of  Rebelion— pointed  out  to  i  t  the 
etern  necessity  of  securing,  by  iron  bands,  the  fair 
dominions  of  the  West  from  foreign  or  domes- 
tic foe. 

Notwithstanding  that  Benton,  Clark,  and  others 
had  long  urged  the  necessity  and  practicability  of 
the  scheme,  the  wealth  and  power  which  would 
accrue  to  the  country  from  its  realization,  the  idea 
found  favor  with  but  few  of  our  wise  legislators 
until  they  awoke  to  the  knowledge  that  even  the 
loyal  State  of  California  was  in  danger  of  being 
abandoned  by  those  in  command,  and  turned  over 
to  the  insurgents ;  that  a  rebel  force  was  forming 
in  Texas  with  the  Pacific  coast  as  its  objective 
point;  that  foreign  and  domestic  mechinations 
threatened  the  dismemberment  of  the  Union  into 
three  divisions ;  not  until  all  this  stared  them  in 
the  face  could  our  national  Solons  see  the  practica- 
bility of  the  scheme  so  earnestly  and  ably  advocated 
by  Sargent  of  California  and  his  able  coadjutors  in 
the  noble  work.  To  this  threatened  invasion  of 
our  Western  possessions,  what  had  Government  to 
off'er  for  successful  defense?  Nothing  but  a  few 
half-finished  and  illjr-manned forts  around  the  bay, 
and  the  untaught  militia  of  the  Pacific  coast.  Un- 
der this  pressure  was  the  charter  granted ;  and  it 
may  truly  be  said  that  the  road  was  inaugurated 
by  the  grandest  carnival  of  blood  the  world  has 
ever  known;  for,  without  the  pressure  of  the  re- 
bellion, the  road  would  probably  be  in  embryo  to- 
day. Although  the  American  people  had  been 
keenly  alive  to  the  import^ince  of  a  speedy  transit 
between  the  two  extremes  of  the  Continent  ever 
since  the  discovery  of  gold  on  the  Pacific  elope, 
np  to  this  time  the  old,  vague  rumdts  of  barren 
deser'e,  dark,  deep,  and  gloomy  gorges,  tremend- 
ous, rugged,  snow-clad  mountains,  and  the  wild 
savage,  made  the  idea  seem  preposteroui .  Even 
the  reports  of  the  emigrants  could  not  convince 
them  to  the  contrary ;  nor  yet  the  reports  of  the 
Mormons  who  marked  and  mapped  a  feasible  route 
to  Salt  Lake  City.  And  it  is  worthy  of  remark, 
that,  for  over  700  miles  the  road  follows  very  closely 
their  survey. 

Practical,  earnest  men,  disabused  the  minds  of 
the  people  regarding  the  impracticability  oi  the 
scheme,  after  the  road  had  became  a  national  ne- 
cessity—a question  of  life  and  unity  of  the  Bepub- 
lic.  The  great  work  has  been  accomplished,  and 
to-day  the  locomotive  whirls  its  long  train,  filled 
with  emigrants  or  pleasure  seekers,  through  that 
region  which,  only  a  few  years  ago,  was  but  a  dim, 
undefined,  mythical  land,  composed  of  chaos,  and 
the  last  faint  efforts  of  nature  to  render  that  cha- 


otic State  still  more  inhospitable  and  uninviting. 
How  great  the  change  from  the  ideal  to  the  reai! 
For  three  hundred  miles  after  leaving  Omaha,  that 
vague  "  Great  American  Desert "  proves  to  be  as 
beautiful  and  fertile  a  succession  of  valleys  as  can 
be  found  elsewhere,  under  like  geographical  posi- 
tions. Great  is  the  change  indeed;  still  greater 
the  changes  through  which  our  country  has  passed 
during  the  period  irom  the  commencement  to  the 
ending  of  our  proudest  national  civil  record,  save 
one.  We  live  in  a  fast  age ;  the  gentle  breeze  of 
to-day  was  the  tornado  ol  fifty  years  ago. 

In  noting  the  history  of  the  Continental  railroad 
we  must  speak  of  the  attempts  in  that  direction 
which  had  been  made  by  other  parties ,  Missouri, 
through  her  able  and  liberal  legislature,  was  the 
first  State  to  move  in  the  construction  of  a  na- 
tional or  continental  railroad.  The  Legislature  of 
that  State  granted  a  charter,  under  which  was  in- 
corporated the  Missouri  and  Pacific  Eailroad  Co., 
who  were  to  build  a  road,  diverging  at  Franklin, 
southwest,  via  Rollo,  Springfield,  Neosho  (the 
Galena  district),  and  along  the  line  of  the  thirty- 
sixth  parallel  to  Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico.  From 
Santa  Fe,  to  San  Francisco  preliminary  surveys 
were  made,  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  rebellion, 
this  road  would  undoubtedly  have  been  completed 
long  ere  this ;  good  authorities  placing  the  limit 
at  1864.  The  cause  which  compelled  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Union  and  Central  roads,  destroyed  the 
Southern.  Passing,  as  it  did,  mostly  through 
Southern,  hostile  territory.  Government  could  not 
aid  or  protect  it  in  its  construction,  and  conse- 
quently the  work  was  suspended.  The  States  of 
Arkansas  and  Tennessee,  by  their  legislatures, 
proposed  to  assist  the  work,  by  constructing  a 
railroad  from  Little  Rock,  to  connect  with  theiyi. 
&P.,  somewhere  between  the  ninety-eighth  and 
one  hundred  and  second  degree  of  longitude,  and 
for  that  purpose  a  charter  was  granted. 

Organization  of  the  Paciflc  Bail- 
roatt— The  evident,  and  we  might  add,  the  im- 
perative necessity  of  connecting  the  East  and 
West,  and  the  intervening  Territories,  encouraged 
the  corporators  ol  the  great  trans-continental  line 
to  apply  to  the  Government  for  aid.  Many  meas- 
ures were  devised  and  laid  before  the  people,  but  the 
supposed  impregnability  of  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
and  other  natural  obstacles  to  be  encountered, 
caused  a  hesitancy  even  then  on  the  part  of  our 
energetic  people  to  commence  the  great  work.  To 
attempt  to  lay  the  Iron  rail  througa  vast  tracts  of 
unknown  country,  inhabited  by  wandering,  hostile 
tribes  of  savage  nomads ;  to  scale  the  snow-clad 
peaks  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  with  the  fiery  lo- 
comotive, seemed  an  undertaking  too  vast  for 
even  the  American  people  to  accomplish.  But  the 
absolute  iMPOBTANCE,  the  urgent  necessity  of 
such  a  work,  overcame  all  objections  to  the 
scheme,  and  in  1862  Congress  passed  an  act,  which 
was  approved  by  President  Lincoln  on  the  first  day 
of  July  of  that  year,  by  which  the  Government 
sanctioned  the  undertaking,  and  promised  the  use 
of  its  credit  to  aid  in  its  speedy  completion.  The 
act  was  entitled  'An  act  to  aid  in  the  construc- 
tion of  a  railroad  and  telegraph  line  from  the  Mis- 
souri River  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  and  to  secure  to 
the  Government  the  use  of  the  same  for  postal, 
military,  and  other  purposes." 

liand  Cxrant- The  Government  grant  of 
lands  to  the  great  national  highway,  as  amended, 
was,  every  alternate  section  of  land  for  20  miles  on 
each  side  of  the  road,  or  20  sections,  equaling  12,- 
800  acres  for  each  mile  of  the  road .  By  the  Com- 
pany's table,  the  road,  as  completed,  is  1,776  18- 
100  miles  long  from  Omaha  to  Sacramento.  This 
would  give  the  companies  22,735,104  acres,  divided 


^2sr  isTEx:. 


247 


as  follows:  Union  Pacific,  13,895,104;  Central  Pa- 
ciflc,i,9,440,000. 

By  mutual  agreement  between  the  Union  and 
Central  companies,  made  several  years  ago,  Og- 
den,  in  Utah,  has  been  decided  upon  as  the 
"junction  "  of  the  two  roads. 

In  addition  to  the  grant  of  lands  and  right  of 
way,  Government  agreed  to  i^sue  its  thirty  year  six 
per  cent,  bonds  in  aid  of  the  work,  graduated  as 
follows :  for  the  plains  portion  of  the  road,  $16,- 
000  per  mile;  for  the  next  most  difficult  portion, 
$32,000  per  mile;  for  the  mountainous  portion, 
$48,000  per  mile. 

The  Union  Pacific  Railroad  Co.  built  525  78-100 
miles,  for  which  they  received  $16,000  per  mile; 
363  602-1000  miles  at  $32,000  per  mile ;  150  miles  at 
$48,000  per  mile,  making  a  total  of  $25,2:36,512. 

The  Central  Pacfflc  Railroad  Co.  built?  18-100 
miles  at  $16,000  per  mile;  580  32.100  miles  at  $32,- 
000  per  mile ;  150  miles  at  $48,000  per  mile,  making 
a  total  of  $25,885,120. 

The  total  subsidies  for  both  roads  amount  to 
$52,121,632.  Government  also  guaranteed  the  in- 
terest on  the  companies'  first  mortgage  bonds  to 
an  equal  amount. 

Coist  of  congttrnctioii,  material,  etc.— 
In  the  construction  of  the  whole  line,  there  were 
used  about  800.000  tons  of  iron  rails,  1,700,000  fish 
plates,  6,800,000  bolts,  6,126,375  cross-ties,  23,505,500 
spikes. 

Besides  this,  there  was  used  an  incalculable 
amount  of  sawed  lumber  boards  for  building,  tim- 
ber for  trestles,  bridges,  etc.  Estimating  the  cost 
of  the  road  with  equipments  complete  by  that  of 
other  first-class  roads  ($105,000),  per  mile  and  we 
have  the  sum  of  $186,498,900  as  the  approximate 
cost  of  the  work. 

We  have  not  had  much  to  say  heretofore  in  re- 
gard to  the 

Importance  of  the  Road— to  the  Ameri- 
can people,  the  Government,  or  the  world  at  large, 
simply  from  the  fact  that  it  seemed  to  us,  anything 
we  might  say  would  be  entirely  superifluous,  as 
the  incalculable  advantages  to  all  could  admit  of 
no  possible  doubt.  We  contented  ourselves  in  an- 
nually calling  attention  to  the  vast  extent  of  rich 
mineral,  agricultural  and  grazing  country  opened 
up— a  vast  country  which  had  heretofore  been  con- 
sidered worthless.  We  have  pointed  out,  step  by 
step,  the  most  important  features,  productions, 
and  advantages  of  each  section  traversed  by  the 
road;  stated  that  the  East  and  West  were  now 
connected  by  a  short  and  quick  route,  ofer  which 
the  vast  trade  of  China,  Japan,  and  the  Orient 
could  fiow  in  its  transit  eastward;  and, finally, 
that  its  importance  to  the  miner,  agriculturalist, 
stock-raiser,  the  Government,  and  the  world  at 
large,  few,  if  any,  could  estimate. 

To  those  who  are  continually  grumbling  about 
the  Pacific  railroad,  and  forget  the  history  of  the 
past,  professing  to  think  that  these  railroad  com- 
panies are  great  debtors  to  the  Government,  we 
would  most  respectiully  submit 

Facts  in  Brief.— On  the  18th  day  of  March, 
1862,  before  the  charter  for  the  Pacific  railroad 
was  granted,  while  the  country  was  in  the  midst  of 
a  civil  war,  at  a  time,  too,  when  foreign  war  was 
most  imminent- the  Trent  affair  showed  how  im- 
minent—and  the  country  was  straining  every  nerve 
for  national  existence,  and  c&^^iteil,  unusually 
cautious,  Mr.  Campbell,  of  Penn.,  Chairman  of  the 
House  Committfe  on  the  "  Pacific  Kailroad '' 
(See  Congressional  Globe,  page  1712,  session  2d, 
37th  Congress),  said  : 

"  The  road  is  a  necessity  to  the  Government.  It 
la  the  Government  that  is  asking  individual  cap- 
italists to  build  the  road.     Gentlemen  are  under 


the  impression  that  it  is  a  very  great  benefit  to 
these  stockholders  to  aid  them  to  an  extent  of 
about  half  the  capital  required.  I  beg  leave  to  call 
the  attention  of  gentlemen  to  the  fact  that  it  is  the 
Government  which  is  under  the  necessity  to  con- 
struct the  road.  If  the  capitalists  of  the  country 
are  willing  to  come  forward  and  advance  half  the 
amount  necessary  for  this  great  enterprise,  the 
Government  is  doing  little  in  aiding  the  Company 
to  the  extent  of  the  other  half  by  way  of  a  loan." 

Again,  (page  1,911)—"  It  is  not  supposed  that  in 
the  first  instance  the  Company  will  reimburse  the 
interest  to  the  Government ;  it  will  reimburse  it 
in  transportation."  Mr.  White  said:  "I  under- 
take to  say  that  not  a  cent  of  these  advances  will 
ever  be  repaid,  nor  do  I  think  it  df  sirable  that 
they  should  be,  as  this  road  is  to  be  the  highway 
of  the  nation." 

In  the  Senate  (see  Congressional  Globe,  page 
2,257,  3d  vol.,  2d  session,  37th  Congress)  Hon. 
Henry  Wilson,  from  Mass.,  said: 

"  I  give  no  grudging  vote  in  giving  away  either 
money  or  land.  I  would  sink  $100,oa),000  to  build 
the  road,  and  do  it  most  cheerfully,  and  think  I 
had  done  a  great  thing  for  my  country.  What  are 
$75,000,000  or  $100,000,000  in  opening  a  railroad 
across  the  central  regions  of  this  Continent,  tkat 
shall  connect  the  people  of  the  Atlantic  and  Pa- 
cific, and  bind  us  together  ?  Nothing.  As  to  the 
lands,  I  don't  grudge  them." 

Nine  years  later— after  the  road  had  been  com- 
pleted nearly  two  years— Senator  Stewart,  from  the 
Committee  on  the  Pacific  railroad,  said  in  his  re- 
port to  the  U.  S.  Senate: 

"The  cost  of  the  overland  service  for  the  whole 
period— from  the  acquisition  of  our  Pacific  coast 
possessions  down  to  the  completion  of  the  Pacific 
railroad— was  over  $8,000,000  per  annum,  and  this 
cost  was  constantly  increasing. 

"The  cost,  since  the  completionof  the  road,  is 
the  annual  interest"— [which  includes  all  the 
branches— Ed.]— $3.897,129— to  which  must  be 
added  one-half  the  charges  for  services  performed 
by  the  company,  about  $1,163,1:38  i  or  annum, 
making  a  total  expendituie  of  about  .95,000.000, 
and  showing  a  saving  of  at  least  $3,0C0,000  per 
annum. 

"  This  calculation  is  upon  the  basis  that  none 
of  the  interest  will  ever  be  repaid  to  the  United 
States,  except  what  is  paid  by  the  servicts,  and 
that  the  excess  of  interest  advanced  over  Ireights 
is  a  total  loss. 

"  In  this  statement  no  account  is  made  of  the 
constant  destruction  of  life  and  private  property 
by  Indians;  of  the  large  amounts  of  money  paid 
by  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  as  indemnity  for 
damages  by  Indians  to  property  in  the  Govern- 
ment 6ervic>^  on  the  plains,  under  the  act  of  March 
3, 1849;  of  the  increased  mail  facilities,  of  the  pre- 
vention of  Indian  wars,  of  the  Increased  value  of 
public  lands,  of  the  development  of  the  coal  and 
iron  mines  of  Wyoming,  and  the  gold  and  silver 
mines  of  Nevada  and  Utah;  of  the  value  of  the 
road  in  a  commercial  point  of  view  in  utilizing 
the  interior  of  the  continent,  and  in  facilitating 
trade  and  commerce  with  the  Pacific  coast  ana 
Asia;  and,  above  all,  in  cementing  the  Union  and 
furnishing  security  in  tBe  tvent  of  foreign  wars." 

Remember  that  the  Government  by  charter  ex- 
acted that  these  companies  should  complete  their 
line  by  1876 ;  but,  by  almost  superhuman  exertion,  it 
was  completed  May  10, 1869— and  the  Government 
has  had  the  benefit  of  the  road  seren  years  before 
the  company  were  compelled  by  law  to  finish  it. 

Now,  if  we  take  no  account  of  the  millions  the 
Government  saved  during  the  buildingof  the  road 
-  and  at  their  own  figures— the  saving  during  tho 


2i8 


-A.  IsT  InT  IB  2^ 


eeven  years  previous  to  1876  has  netted  the  Gov- 
ernmeiit  S'^l^OOO^OOO,  besides  paying  the  interest 
on  the  whole  amount  of  bonds. 

Again,  if  it  cost  the  Government,  before  the 
completion  of  the  Pacific  railroad,  according  to 
Mr.  Stewart,  "  over  $8,000,000  per  annum,  and 
this  cost  was  constantly  increasing''''  how  fast 
•was  this  increase  ?  Could  it  be  less  than  six  per 
cent,  per  annum?  Should  the  figures  be  made  on 
the  basis  of  six  per  cent,  the  Government  must 
have  saved,  previous  to  1876,  in  the  seven  years 
that  the  line  was  completed— before  the  com- 
pames  were  compelled  to  complete  it  -  over  thirty 
MILLIONS  OP  DOLLARS.  This,  too,  after  the  Gov- 
ernment deducts  every  dollar  of  interest  on  <A«> 
own  bonds  issued  to  the  companies  to  aedthecon- 
etruction  of  the  road. 

The  above  are  some  few  of  the  advantages  of 
the  Pacific  railroad  to  the  Government,  and,  con- 
sequently, to  the  country  at  large. 

The  States  and  Territories  on  the  line  of  the 
Union  and  Central  Pacific  railroads,  or  immedi- 
ately tributary  to  it>  contained  a  population,  in 
1860,  of  only  554,301,  with  232  miles  of  telegraph 
line  and  32  miles  ot  railway.  This  same  cope  of 
country  contained  a  population,  according  to  the 
census  of  187'\  of  1,011,971,  and  was  encompassed 
by  over  13,000  mi  es  of  telegraph  lines  and  4,191 
miles  of  railroads,  com;;/€i!e<:?,  and  many  more  la 
progress,  in  which  was  invested  the  enormous 
capital  of  $363,750,000.  Add  to  the  above  the  im- 
mense amount  of  capital  invested— in  quartz 
mills,  smelting  furnaces,  development  of  mines, 
and  other  resources  of  the  country,  within  the 
game  ten  years — then  should  we  bring  all  the  fig- 
ures down  to  the  present  times,  the  grand  total 
would  be  comparatively  an  astonishing  romance. 

Where,  but  a  few  years  ago,  the  bufl"alo  and 
other  game  roamed  in  countless  thousands,  and 
the  savages  skulked  in  the  canyons,  and  secret 
hiding-places,  where  they  could  pounce  out  nn- 
awares  upon  the  emigrant;  the  hardy  pioneers 
who  hnvemade  the  wilderness  if  not  "to  blossom 
like  the  rose,"  a  safe  pathway  for  the  present 
generation,  by  laying  down  their  lives  in  the 
cause  of  advancing  civilization,  now  are  to  be 
seen  hundreds  of  tnousands  of  hardy  emigrants, 
with  their  horses,  cattle,  sheep,  and  domestic  ani- 
mals; and  the  savages  are  among  the  things  that 
have  "  moved  on." 

Orumblers— The  great  hue  and  cry  that 
are  made  at  times  by  the  people  and  press  of  the 
country,  in  regard  to  "giving  away  the  lands," 
"squandering  the  public  domain,"  etc.,  which 
censure  the  Government  for  giving,  and  the  rail- 
road company  for  receiving  grants  of  land  in  aid 
of  this  road,  are  very  surprising  in  view  of  the  fore- 
going facts.  We  would  like  to  know  what  the 
lands  on  the  line  of  these  railroads  would  be 
worth  without  the  road? 

Did  the  Government  ever  sell  any?  Could  the 
Government  ever  sell  them?  I«Jever.  It  could 
not  r  alize  as  much  from  a  million  of  acres  as  it 
would  cost  their  surveyor*  and  land-agents  for  cl- 
ears while  surveying  and  looking  after  them, 
when  the  Pacific  roaa  commenced,  there  was  not 
a  land  oflice  in  Colorado?,  Wyoming,  Montana, 
Utah,  or  Nevada,  and  only  one  or  two  in  each  of 
the  other  States  or  Territories.  On  th«  other 
hand,  by  the  building  of  the  road,  many  millions 
of  dollars  have  already  found  their  way  into  the 
Government  treasury,  and  at  just  double  the  usual 
price  per  acre..  These  grumblers  would  place  the 
Government  in  the  position  of  the  boy  who  wanted 
to  f a^  his  apple,  sell  it,  and  then  get  credit  for 
giving  it  away.    O!  how  generous. 


No.    O   Annex.    The   lliffli   School    at 

Omalta— An  illustration  of  which  we  present  on 
page  29,  stands  on  the  site  of  the  old  State  House 
of  Nebraska,  and  is  known  as  "Capitol  Hill  " 
It  was  completed  in  1S7G,  and  cost  82-^<),000.  It 
is  176  feet  long  and  80  feet  wide.  The  main 
spire  rises  185  feet  from  the  ground. 

The  building  is  constructed  in  the  most  sub- 
stantial manner,  which,  for  convenience,  beauty 
in  design,  and  finish  throughout,  has  but  few,  if 
any,  suijeriors  in  the  western  country, 

Xo.  7  Annex.  First  Steam  'j  rain -See 
illustration  and  description  on  page  56. 

J%o.  «  Annex.  The  Jfladrone  Tree— See 
description,  page  164. 

JSo.  10  Annex.  Jack  Slade— Virginia 
Dale  was  originally  a  stage  station  on  the 
old  Denver,  Salt  Lake  and  California  road, 
and  was  laid  out  and  kept  by  the  notorious 
Jack  Slade,  who  was  division  superintend- 
ent for  the  old  C.  O.  C.  Stage  Co.,  from  1860 
to  1863.  It  was  supposed  that  Slade  was  the  head 
of  a  gang  of  desperadoes  wh«  infested  the  coun- 
try, running  off  stock  from  the  emio;rants,  and  ap- 
propriating the  same.  At  any  rate  he  was  a  noted 
desperado,  having,  it  is  said,  'killed  thirteen  men. 
The  last  of  his  exploits,  east  of  the  mountains, 
was  the  wanton  and  cruel  murder  of  Jules  Burg, 
the  person  who  gave  his  name  to  Julesburg. 
Slade  had  a  quarrel  with  Jules  in  1861,  which 
ended  in  a  sh  oting  scrape,  wherein  Slade  was 
beaten — or,  as  their  class  would  say,  "forced  to 
take  water."'  In  1863  some  of  the  drivers  on  the 
line,  friends  and  employes  of  Slade's,  decoyed 
Jules  to  the  Cold  Spring  ranche,  on  the  North 
Platte  River,  kept  at  the  time  by  old  Antoine 
Runnels,  commonly  known  as  "the  Devil's  left 
bower."  He  was  .i  great  friend  of  Slade's,  who 
appears  to  have  rightfully  earned  the  title  of 
"right  bower"  to  that  same  warm-natured  iudi 
vidual.  The  place  where  this  tragedy  occurred  is 
50  miles  north  of  Cheyenne,  and  25  miles  below 
Fo-t  Laramie,  whither  Slade  repaired  from  Cot- 
tonwood Springs  (opposite  McPherson  station) 
in  an  extra  coach  as  soon  as  he  was  notified  of  the 
capture  of  his  old  enemy.  He  drove  night  and 
day,  arriving  at  Cold  Spring  ranche  early  in  the 
morning.  On  alighting  from  the  coach  ht  found 
Jules  tied  to  a  post  in  a  coral,  in  such  a  position 
as  to  render  him  perfectly  helpless.  Slade  shot 
him  twenty-three  times,  taking  care  not  to  kill 
him,  cursing  all  the  time  in  a  most  fearful  man- 
ner, returning  i  o  t  he  ranche  for  a  "  drink  "  between 
shots.  While  firing  the  first  twenty-two  shots,  he 
would  tell  Jules  just  where  he  was  going  to  hit 
him,  adding  that  he  did  not  Intend  to  kill  him 
Imm  dlately;  that  he  Intended  to  torture  him  to 
death.  During  this  brutal  scone,  seven  of  Slade's 
friends  stood  by  and  witnessed  the  proceedings. 
Unable  to  provoke  a  cry  of  pain  or  a  sign  of  fear 
from  the  unfortunate  Jules,  he  thrust  the  pistol 
Into  his  mouth,  and  at  the  twenty-th  rd  shot  blew 
his  head  to  pieces.  Slade  then  cut  the  ears  from 
his  victim,  and  put  them  in  his  pocket. 

In  the  saloons  of  Denver  City,  and  other  places, 
he  would  take  Jules'  ears  out  of  his  pocket,  throw 
them  down  on  the  bar,  and  openly  boasting  of  the 
act,  would  demand  the  drinks  on  his  oloody 
pledges,  which  were  never  refused  him.  Shortly 
after  this  exploit.  It  became  too  hot  for  him  in 
Colorado,  and  he  was  forced  to  flee.  From 
thence  he  went  to  Virginia  City,  Montana,  where 
he  continued  to  prey  upon  society.  The  p^•ople 
in  that  country  had  no  love  or  use  for  his  kind  of 
people,  and  after  his  conduct  had  become  insup- 
portable, the  Vigilantes  hung  him. 


^^  3:sr  3i=3"  E  x:. 


253 


the  water  is  boiling  hot."  We  do  not  vouch  lor 
the  truth  of  this  story,  and  we  are  not  certain  that 
Langford  will  swear  to  it. 

The  mountain  rim  of  the  Yellowstone  Lake 
rises  from  1,500  to  4,000  feet  above  its  surface,  and, 
except  in  two  directions,  is  unbroken.  To  the 
west  and  southwest  are  breaks  in  the  chain, 
through  one  of  which  appear  the  outlines  of  a 
conspicuous  conical  peak,  10,500  feet  in  height. 
In  the  mountain  system  which  surrounds  the  lake 
are  born  the  tributaries,  almost  the  principal 
sources,  of  three  of  the  largest  rivers  on  the  con- 
tinent. Four  of  the  most  important  tributaries 
of  the  Missouri— namely,  the  Big  Horn,  the  Yel- 
lowstone, the  Madison  aiid  the  Gallatin,  have 
their  springs  here.  Flowing  first  north,  then 
east,  they  strike  Ihe  Missouri,  which,  in  its  turn, 
flows  southeasterly  to  the  Mississippi  Valley, 
where  its  waters  are  blended  with  the  stately 
stream  that  empties  its  tides  at  least  3,500  m^'les 
below  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  The  Snake  River, 
whose  sources  are  actually  interlaced  with  those 
of  the  Madison  and  the  Yellowstone,  turns  west- 
ward, and  traverses  nearly  a  thousand  miles  of 
territory  before  it  joins  the  Columbia  on  its  way 
to  the  Pacific  Ocean.  Again,  the  Green  River, 
rising  but  a  few  miles  from  the  sources  of  the 
others,  seeks  the  Colorado  of  the  bouth,  which, 
after  innumerable  windings  through  deserts,  and 
a  roaring  passage  of  hundreds  of  miles  in  the 
abysses  of  canyons  surpassing  even  those  of  the 
Yellowstone  in  grandeur,  depth,  and  gloom, 
reaches  the  gulf  of  California.  Penetrating  to  the 
lofty  recesses  wher  J  these  springs  rise,  the  ex- 
plorer stands,  as  it  were,  astride  of  the  grandest 
water-shed  in  the  world.  A  pebble  dropped  into 
one  spring  touches  a  water-nerve  of  the  Pacific;  a 
pebble  cast  into  another  touches  a  similar  nerve 
of  the  Atlantic  Oceau.  It  is  a  thought  to  cause 
the  wings  of  the  spirit  of  a  man  in  such  a  place 
to  expand  like  an  eagle's.  (See  large  illustrations, 
Nos.  35  and  36.) 

Xo.  it7  Annex.  Ocean  Steam  ships.— 
The  steamers  of  the  Occidental  and  Oriental  Line, 
between  San  Francisco  and  Yokohama,  leave  San 
Francisco  about  the  15th  of  each  month.  The 
passage  rates  are: 


ifi 

6 

6 

S  6 

Payable  in  U.  S. 

!l 

2 

8§ 

Gold  Coin. 

■B 

IS 

ll 

W 

o 

fi5 

San  Fkancisco  to 

Miles. 

Yokohama,  Japan, 

$250  00 

$85  00 

$53  00 

4,764 

Hiogo, 

270  00 

100  00 

5,104 

Nagasaki,       •' 

29!)  00 

100  00 

62  00 

5,444 

Shanghae,  China, 

300  00 

100  00 

65  00 

5,964 

Hongkong,       " 

300  00 

100  00 

5:300 

6,384 

Calcutta,     India, 

450  00 

9,385 

Children  v-nder  12  years  of  age,  one-half  rates ; 
under  five  years,  one-quarter  rates:  under  one  year, 
free. 

Family  Servants,  (European)  eating  and  sleep- 
ing in  European  steerage,  one-half  cabin  rates; 
eating  in  cabin  and  sleeping  in  European  steer- 
age, three-qudrters  cabin  rates;  eating  and  sleep- 
ing in  cabin,  full  cabin  rates. 

250  lbs.  baggage  allowed  each  adult,  first-class 
or  cabin  passeneer ;  150  lbs.  each,  European  steer- 
age; 100 lbs.  each,  Chinese  steerage:  proportion- 
ate to  children. 


1^°"  Round  Trip  Tickets,  gnod  for  twelve 
mouths,  will  be  sold  at  a  reduction  of  12H  per 
cent,  from  regular  rates 

An  allowance  of  20  pe;-  cent,  on  return  passage 
will  be  made  to  passengers  who  paid  full  lare  to 
Japan  or  China,  or  vice  versa,  re-embarking  within 
six  months  from  date  of  landing,  and  an  allowance 
of  10  percent,  to  those  who  return  within  twelve 
months. 

Families  whose  fare  amounts  to  four  full 
PASSAGES  will  be  all' wed  7  per  cent,  reduction. 

Exclusive  use  of  staterooms  can  be  secured  by 
the  payment  of  half-rate  for  extra  births. 

The  Pacific  Mail  etpamships  leave  San  Fran- 
cisco about  the  Ist  of  every  month,  for  Yokohama 
and  Honkor  g,  and  for  Sidney  and  Aukland  via 
Honolulu,  at  about  the  same  time— 1st  of  each 
month— and  for  New  York,  via  Panama,  about  the 
1st  and  15th  of  each  month.  For  Victoria,  B.  C. 
Port  Townsend,  Seattle  and  Tacoma,  the  10th, 
20th  and  30th  of  each  month. 

The  Oregon  Steamship  Co.  send  steamers  to 
Portland  from  San  Francisco  every  five  days. 

Other  steamers  for  up  and  down  the  coast,  leave 
at  changeable  intervals;  about  weekly,  however. 

'So.  38  Annex.  Col.  Hudnut's  Survey. 
—0;i  the  west  side  of  Promontory  Point,  the  line 
known  as  Colonel  Hudnut's  survey  of  the  Idaho 
and  Oregon  branch  of  the  U.  P.  R.  R.,  passes  north 
to  Pilot  Springs;  thence  down  Clear  Creek  or  Raft 
River  to  Snake  River,  and  along  the  southern 
bank  of  this  stream  to  Old's  Ferry ;  thence  across 
the  country  to  Umatilla,  on  the  Columbia  River. 
For  the  entire  distance  between  Promontory  and 
Raft  River,  the  country  is  uninviting,  though  not 
barren.  From  thence  the  route  passes  through  a 
country  abounding  in  fertile  vallevs  and  bold 
mountains— the  latter  well-wooded.  There  is 
plenty  of  wood  and  other  materials  for  building 
the  proposed  road  along  the  whole  length  of  the 
line.  To  the  mouth  of  Raft  River  from  Promon- 
tory is  about  100  miles.  The  scenery  along  the 
line  is  varied,  from  smiling,  fertile  valleys  to  lofty, 
snow-clad  mountains.  We  will  speak  only  of  the 
general  characteristics  of  the  route  and  of  one  or 
two  points  of  remarkable  interest.  The  main 
ieature  of  the  Snake  or  Shoshone  River  is  its 
majestic  cataracts.  The  stream,  sometimes  called 
Lewis  River,  is  the  South  Fork  of  the  Columbia, 
and  was  discovered  by  Lewis  and  Clark,  who  ven- 
tured westward  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  in  1804. 
It  rises  in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  near  Fremont's 
Peak,  in  the  Wind  River  Range,  which  divides 
Idaho  and  Wyoming  Territories,  The  head  waters 
of  the  stream  are  Gros  Ventre,  John  Craig's  and 
Salt  Creeks  on  the  south,  with  the  outlets  of 
Lyon's  and  Barret's  lakes  on  the  north.  The  gen- 
eral course  of  the  river  from  its  source  to  Big 
Bend  is  northwest.  At  this  point  Henry's  Fork, 
a  large  stream  flowing  from  the  the  north,  empties 
its  waters  into  the  main  river.  Thence  the  course 
is  southwesterly  until  the  first  falls  are  reached— 
about  400  miles  from  the  river's  s  urce.  These 
are  called  the  American  Falls  and  are  very  fine, 
but  do  not  present  so  sublime  an  appearance  as 
will  be  seen  about  100  miles  further  down  the 
river,  where  the  waters  leave  the  elevated  plains  of 
Idaho  by  a  series  of  cascades,  known  as  the  Sho- 
shone Falls,  from  30  to  60  feet  high,  closing  the 
scene  in  one  grand  leap  of  210  feet  perpendicular. 
The  width  of  the  river  at  the  point  of  taking  the 
last  leap  is  about  700  feet.  The  form  of  the  fuLs  is 
circular— somewhat  like  those  of  the  Niagara.  Be- 
fore the  river  reaches  the  cascades  it  runs  between 
lofty  walls,  which  close  in  around  it  until  but  a 
narrow  gorge  is  left  for  the  passage  of  the  water 


254 


J^  INT  IsT  E!  X:. 


1,000  feet  below  the  tope  of  the  hlnffs.  The  most 
complete  view  of  the  falls  is  obtained  from  Look- 
out Point,  a  narrow  spit  of  rocks  which  projects 
from  the  main  bluffs  a  short  distance  down  the 
stream  from  the  falls.  From  this  point  Eagle 
Rock  rises  before  us  in  the  midst  of  the  rapids,  and 
almost  overhanging  the  falls,  fully  200  feet  high ; 
its  pillar-like  top  surmounted  by  an  eagle's  nest, 
where,  year  after  year,  the  monarch  of  the  air  has 
reared  its  young.  Near  ihe  center  of  the  river  are 
several  islands  covered  with  cedar,  the  largest  one 
being  called  Ballard's  Island.  Two  rocky  points, 
one  on  either  side  of  the  falls,  are  called  the  Two 
Sentinels.  Excepting  in  point  of  thevo'umeof 
water,  the  falls  will  compare  favorably  with  Ni- 
agara. 

From  this  point  the  river  runs  nearly  west  until 
it  reaches  War  >  agle  Mountains,  about  80  )  miles 
from  its  source,  when  it  turns  due  north,  follow- 
ing that  course  for  150  miles,  then  bending  again 
toihewest  it  unites  with  Clark's  River,  formii  g 
the  Columbia.  After  leaving  the  last  falls  the 
country  is  less  broken,  and  the  work  of  building 
the  road  would  be  comparatively  light  for  most  of 
the  way. 
Xo.  29  Annex.  Western  Stock  Raising- 


Dubbin,  Obr  &  Co.— Cattle  branded  \B;  also 
some  of  them  \B,   and  horses  the  same. 
Post-oiHce,  Cheyenne,  W.  T.  Range,  Bear  Creek. 


Creighton  &  Co.— Horses  branded  quarter  cir- 
cle open  block,  on  left  shoulder.  Also,  partcat- 
tle  branded  half-circle  on  fhoulder. 

Postoffice  Pine  Bluffs,  W.  T.  Range,  Horse  and 
Pumpkin  creeks. 

Stock  raising  is  an  important  industry.  We  have 
often  expressed  our  belief  that,  ultimately,  itwould 
be  found  there  was  not  one  f  'Ot  of  valueless  land  on 
the  line  of  the  Pacific  railroad.  The  Bitter  Creek 
country,  previous  to  1868,  for  80  miles  was  univer- 
sally aomitted  by  all  who  knew  anything  about  that 
section  of  c.ountry,  to  be  utterly  valueless .  Coal, 
in  immense  quantlti*  s,  was  discovered  all  along 
the  creek— great  veine— and  it  is  now  the  most 


valuable  section  of  the  Union  Pacific  railroad. 
Portions  of  the  Humboldt  and  Nevada  Desert  were 
also  set  down  as  valueless;  vow,  see  what  irriga- 
tion has  done  for  a  portion  of  it,  where  the  people 
have  had  the  enterprise  to  adopt  a  system  of  irri- 
gation, as  at  Humboldt  ytation.  We  contend  that 
a/^he  lands  on  the  line  of  this  road  are  valuable, 
some  as  mineral,  some  as  agricultural,  but  the 
greater  portion  is  the  finest  grazing  land  in  the 
world.  This  fact,  of  late  years,  is  becoming  thor- 
oughly understood,  as  in  lb68  there  would  not  i  x- 
ceed  twenty  thousand  bed  of  cattle  on  the  whole 
line  of  the  Pacific  railroad,  across  the  continent; 
now  there  are  over '00  000  head  of  cattle,  30,000 
head  of  horses,  and  full  450,000  head  of  sheep. 

The  range  is  enormous,  taking  in  broad  plains, 
grass-covered  mountains,  and  thousands  cf  as 
beautiful  little  foot-hills  and  mountain  vaileys  as 
there  are  in  the  world.  This  vection  commences 
about  250  miles  west  of  the  Missouri  River,  and 
extends  to  the  eastern  base  of  the  Sierra  Nevada 
Mountains,  all  of  which,  with  only  a  few  miles  in- 
tervening, is  the  stock-raiser's  paradise.  The  ab- 
sence of  water  is  the  only  r^rawback  in  th-s  intt  r- 
vening  section,  a-  d  in  lime  wells  will  be  sui  k  at.d 
that  obstacle  overcome.  The  valley  bluffs,  low 
hills  and  mountain  sides  of  this  whoh-  section  are 
covi  red  with  a  luxuriant  growth  of  gramma  or 
"  bunch"  grass,  one  oi  the  most  nutrtious  grasses 
grown,  together  with  white  sage  and  grease-wood, 
upon  whch  all  kinds  of  stock  thrive  all  the  sea- 
son, without  care,  exctpting  what  is  necessary  to 
prevent  them  from  stra)ing  beyond  reach.  Old 
work -oxen  'hat  had  traveled  2,500  miles  ahead  of 
the  freight  wagon  during  the  season,  have  been 
lurned  out  to  winter  i  y  their  owners,  and  by  the 
following  July  they  were  "  rolling  fat  "—fit  for 
beef,  W  e  know  tLis  to  be  a  fact  from  actual  ex- 
perience. 

This  country  is  the  great  pasture  land  of  the 
continent.  There  is  room  for  millions  of  cattle  in 
this  unsettled  country,  and  then  havegr«zing  land 
enough  to  spare  to  feed  half  the  stock  in  the 
Union. 

In  the  foot-hills  and  mountainous  portion  of 
this  great  grazing  range,  and  along  the  line  of  the 
great  water  courses,  theie  is  no  trouble  from  lack 
of  water,  for  the  mountain  valleys  are  each  sup- 
plied with  creeks  and  rivers.  Springs  abound  In 
various  sections,  so  that  no  very  large  tract  of 
land  is  devoid  of  natural  watering  places.  The 
grass  grows  from  nine  to  twelve  inch(  s  high,  and 
IS  peculiarly  nutritious.  It  is  always  jireen 
near  the  roots,  summer  and  winter.  During  the 
summer  the  dry  atmosphere  cures  the  standing 

frass  as  effectually  as  though  cut  and  prepared  for 
ay.  The  nutritive  qualities  of  the  gniss  remain 
uninjured,  and  stock  thrive  equally  weli  on  the 
dry  feed.  In  the  winter  what  snow  falls  is  very 
dry,  unlike  that  which  falls  in  more  humid  cli- 
mates. It  may  cover  the  grass  to  the  depth  of  a 
few  inches,  but  the  cattle  readily  remove  it,  reach- 
ing the  grass  without  trouble. 

Again,  the  snow  does  not  stick  to  t*  e  sides  of 
the  cattle  and  melt  there,  chilling  them  through, 
but  its  dryness  causes  it  to  roll  from  their  backs, 
leaving  their  hair  dry.  The  cost  of  keeping  stock 
in  this  country  Is  just  what  it  will  cost  to  employ 
herders— no  more.  The  contrast  between  raising 
stock  here  and  in  the  East  must  be  evident. 
Again,  the  stocking  of  this  country  with  sheep,  is 
adding  an  untold  wealth  to  the  country.  The 
mountain  streams  aftbrd  ample  water  power  for 
raanulactories,  and  wool  enough  could  be  grown 
here  with  which  to  clothe  all  the  people  of  the 
Union,  when  manufactured  into  cloth.  With  the 
railroad  to  trautport  the  cattle  and  sheep  to  the 


^ft.  isr  isT  IB  x:. 


255 


Eastern  and  Western  markets,  immense  fortunes 
are  now  being  made,  and  the  business  is  compara- 
tively new— in  its  infancy. 

No  drouths  which  have  been  experienced  in 
this  great  range  have  ever  seriously  afl'ected  the 
pasturage,  owin»  to  the  peculiar  qualities  of  the 
grasses  ind  genous  to  the  country.  So  with 
storms:  it  has  seldom  happened  that  any  storms 
are  experienced  which  cause  lose,  and  none  ever 
need  to,  and  none  ever  do,  when  the  stock  is  prop- 
erly attended  to  and  herded. 

On  these  ranges  it  is  common  for  stock  of  many 
owners  to  range  together,  and  a  system  of  brands 
has  been  adopted,  and  recorded  with  the  county 
clerk  in  the  section  of  country  whero  the  herds 
belong.  The  recording  of  the  brands  is  a  protec- 
tion against  theft  and  loss  by  straying,  as  each 
cattle  man  knows  the  brands  in  use  in  nis  range, 
and  each  endeavors  to  protect  the  other's  interest. 
The  illustrations  that  we  present,  show  two  of 
the  brands  in  use,  and  the  method  adopted  by  all 
cattle  men  to  make  known  their  brand,  and  the 
particular  range,  or  home  range  of  the  cattle. 
(These  are  actual  names,  brands,  range  and  ad- 
dresses.] 

The  Annual  "  Round-Up.''— One  of  the 
most  important  and  Interesting  features  of  the 
stock-raising  business  is  the  cattle  "round-up." 
In  the  "free  and  easy  "  manner  of  raising  cattle 
on  the  broad,  western  plain,  where  the  owner  may 
not  see  one-half  of  his  herd  for  six  months  at  a 
time,  it  may  be  imagined  that  the  restless  Texans 
scatter  almost  from  Dan  to  Beersheba,  and  that 
extra  effort  is  necessary  when  they  are  finally 
collected  by  the  regular  spring  "round  up." 
Companies  of  herders  are  organized  to  scour  cer- 
tain sections  of  country,  and  bring  every  animal  to 
a  grand  focal  point,  no  matter  who  that  animal 
may  belong  to  or  what  its  condition  may  be.  The 
old-fashioned  "husking  bee,"  "  "possum  hunt  "  or 
"training  day"  is  vastly  outdone  by  this  wild 
revelry  of  the  herders.  Mounted  upon  their  fleet- 
est ponies,  the  cow-boys  scatter  out  in  all  direc- 
tions, gather  in  "  everything  that  wears  horns," 
and  at  night  may  have  toe  property  of  half-a-dozen 
owners  in  one 'immense,  excited  herd.  Then, 
while  a  cordon  of  herders  hold  the  animals  to- 
gether, representatives  of  the  different  "  brands  ■" 
ride  into  the  herd,  single  out  their  animals,  one 
by  one,  and  drive  them  off  to  be  branded  or  mar- 
keted. Moving  along,  day  after  day,  the  scene  is 
repeated,  until  the  whole  plains  country  has  been 
visited,  and  every  breeder  has  had  an  opportunity 
to  take  an  inventory  of  his  stock.  Of  course  the 
participants  "  camp  out  "  wagons,  following  the 
herd,  with  blankets  and  provisions,  the  "  round- 
up" season,  being  one  of  mirth  and  frolic,  as  well 
as  of  work,  from  beginning  to  end. 

Xo.  30  Annex.  The  Oreat  Cave— of 
Eastern  Nevada,  lies  about  forty-five  miles  to  the 
southwest  of  Eureka.  It  is  situated  in  one  of  the 
low  foot-hills  of  the  Shell  Creek  Range,  which 
extends  for  about  two  miles  into  a  branch  of 
Steptoe  Valley.  The  ridge  is  low,  not  over  60  or 
65  feet  high,  and  presents  no  indications  which 
would  lead  one  to  suspect  that  it  guarded  the  en- 
trance to  an  immense  cavern.  The  entrance 
to  the  cave  would  hardly  be  noticed  by 
travelers,  it  being  very  low  and  partly  obscured. 
A  rock  archway,  small  and  dark,  admits  the  ex- 
plorer, who  must  pass  along  a  low  passage  for 
about  20  feet,  when  it  gradually  widens  out,  with 
a  corresponding  elevation  of  roof.  Many  of  the 
chambers  discovered  are  of  great  size ;  one,  called 
the  "  dancing  hall,"  being  about  seventy  by  ninety 
feet.  The  roof  is  about  forty  feet  from  the  floor, 
which  is  covered  with  fine  gray  sand.    Opening 


into  this  chamber  are  several  smaller  ones,  and 
near  by,  a  clear,  cold  spring  of  excellent  water 
gushes  forth  from  the  rock.  Further  on  are  more 
chambers,  the  walls  of  which  are  covered  with 
stalactites  of  varied  styles  of  beauty.  Stalagmites 
are  found  on  the  floors  in  great  numbers.  It  is 
not  known  how  far  this  cave  extends,  but  it  has 
been  explored  over  4,000  feet,  when  a  deep  chasm 
prevented  further  exploration. 

Indian  Legend— The  Indians  in  this  vicinity 
have  a  curious  fear  of  this  place,  and  cannot  be 
tempted  to  venture  any  distance  within  its 
haunted  recesses.  They  have  a  legend  that  "  heap" 
Indians  went  in  once  for  a  long  way  and  none  ever 
returned.  But  one  who  ventured  in  many  moons 
ago,  was  lucky  enough  to  escape,  with  the  loss 
of  those  who  accompanied  him,  and  he  is  now 
styled  "Cave  Indian."  According  to  the  legend, 
he  ventured  in  with  some  of  his  tribe  and  traveled 
until  he  came  to  a  beautiful  stream  of  water, 
where  dwelt  a  great  many  Indians,  who  bad  small 
ponies  and  beautiful  squaws.  Though  urged  to 
stay  with  his  people,  "Cave"  preferred  to  return 
to  sunlight.  Watching  his  chances,  when  all 
were  asleep,  he  stole  away,  and,  after  great  suffer- 
ing, succeeded  in  reaching  the  mouth  of  the  cave, 
but  his  people  still  live  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth. 
The  Indians  thoroughly  believe  the  story,  and 
will  not  venture  within  the  darkness.  Another 
story  is  current  among  the  people  who  live  near 
by,  which  is,  that  the  Mormons  were  once  posses- 
sors of  this  cave,  and  at  the  time  when  they  had 
the  rupture  with  the  United  States  Government, 
used  it  as  a  hiding  place  for  the  plate  and  treas- 
ures of  the  Church  and  the  valuables  of  the  Mor- 
mon elders.  The  existence  of  the  cave  was  not 
known  to  the  whites,  unless  the  Mormons  knew 
ofit,  until  1866. 

A  Little  Histoet— In  the   latter  part  of  the 
summer  of  1858,  a  party  of  prospectors  from  Mari- 
posa, in  California,  crossed  the   Sierra  Nevada 
Mountains  via  Yo-Semite  to  Mono  Lake,  then  in 
Utah,  but  now  in  that  part  of  the  country  set  off  to 
form  Nevada.    For  three  years  the  party  worked 
placer  mines   and  other  gold  along  the  various 
canyons  and  gulches  extending  eastward  from  the 
Sierras,  which  led  others  to  continue  prospecting 
further  north,   and  who    discovered    Comstock 
Ledge.    Other  prospectors  followed,  and  the  dis- 
covery of  rich  veins  in  Lander,  Esmeralda,  Nye 
and  Humboldt  counties,  and  in   the   aujoining 
Territory  of  Idaho,  was   the  result.    The   great 
"unexplored  desert,"  on  the  map,  was  avoided 
until  1865  and  1866,  when  parties  began  to  branch 
out  and  discover  the  rich   argentiferous  quartz 
and  flne  timber  land,  extending  along  a  series  of 
parallel  valleys,  from  the  Humboldt  to  the  Colo- 
rado River.  Several  New  York  companies  became 
interested  in  these  discoveries,  and  erected  a  20- 
stamp  mill  at  Newark,  22  miles  north  of  where 
Treasure  City  now  stands,  to  work  veins  in  the 
Diamond  Range.  Across  the  valley,  opposite  New- 
ark. White  Pine  Mountain  rises  10,285  feet.    Here 
the  "  Monte  Christo  "  mill  was  erected,  at  which 
a  Shoshone  Indian  came  one  day  with  a  specimen 
of  better  "nappias"  than  had  yet  been  discov- 
ered, and,  by  his  guidance,  the  rich  mines  dis- 
covered at  Treasure  Hill  and  the  "  Hidden  Treas- 
ure "  mine  were  located  and  recorded  on  the  14th 
of  September,  1867.    But,  aside  from  the  produc- 
tion of  mineral,  along  these   mountain   ranges, 
another  source  of  wealth  exists  in  the  valleys  ex- 
tending through  Nevada  and  Utah .    We  refer  to 
that  branch  of  business  which  has  been  gradually 
increasing— one  which  will  bring  a  large  revenue 
to  the  settlers  along  these  valleys  in  stock-rais- 
ing.   Bunch  grass  grows  in  abundance,  and  cattle 


256 


.A.  IsT  InT  IB  3C. 


are  easily  wintered  and  fattened,  finding  a  ready- 
market  in  the  mining  districts  and  westward  to 
Sacramento  and  San  Francisco. 

Xo.  3  L  Annex.    Nevada  i'alls.— 209. 

ITo.  3i  Annex.  Pioneer  Mail  £nter- 
prises.— (See  page  218. 

No.  33  Annex.  The  I>omi«»v  Party.— 
(Illustration  page  71).  Around  this  beautiful 
sheet  of  water— nestled  so  closely  in  the  embrace 
of  these  mighty  mountains,  smiling  and  joyous 
in  its  matrhless  beauty,  as  though  no  dark  sorrow 
had  ever  occurred  on  its  shores,  or  its  clear  waters 
reflected  back  the  wan  and  haggard  face  of  starva- 
tion—is  clustered  the  saddest  of  memories— a 
memory  perpetuated  by  the  name  of  the  lake. 

In  the  rail  of  '46,  a  party  of  emigrants,  mostly 
from  Illinois,  arrived  at  Truckee  River,  worn  and 
wasted  from  their  long  and  arduous  journey. 
Among  that  party  was  a  Mr.  Donner,  who,  with 
his  family,  were  seeking  the  rich  bottom  lands  of 
the  California  rivers,  the  fame  of  which  had 
reached  them  in  their  Eastern  home.  At  that 
time  a  few  hardy  pioneers  had  settled  near  Sut- 
ter's Fort,  brought  there  by  the  returning  trap 
pers,  who,  with  .wondrous  tales  of  the  fertility  of 
the  soil  and  the  genial  climate  of  California,  had 
induced  some  of  their  friends  to  return  with  them 
and  settle  in  this  beautiful  land.  The  Donner 
party,  as  it  is  generally  called,  was  one  of  those 
parties,  and  under  the  guidance  of  a  trapper,  was 
journeying  to  this  then  almost  unknown  land. 
Arriving  at  the  Truckee,  the  guide,  who  knew  the 
danger  threatening  them,  hurried  thtm  forward, 
that  they  might  cross  the  dreaded  Sierras  ere  the 
snows  of  winter  should  encompass  them.  Part  of 
the  train  hurried  forward,  but  Mr.  Donner,  who 
had  a  large  lot  of  cattle,  would  not  hurry.  Despite 
all  warnings,  he  loitered  along  until,  at  last,  he 
reached  the  foot  of  Donner  Lake,  and  encamped 
there  for  the  night.  The  weather  was  growincr 
cold,  and  the  black  and  threatening  sky  betokened 
the  coming  storm.  At  Donner  Lake,  the  road 
turned  to  the  left  in  those  days,  following  up 
Coldstream,  and  crossing  the  Summit,  near  Sum- 
mit Meadows,  a  verydilficult  and  dangerous  route 
in  fair  weather.  The  party  who  encamped  at  the 
lake  that  night  numbered  16  souls,  among  whom 
were  Mrs.  Donner  and  her  four  children.  During 
the  night,  the  threatened  storm  burst  over  them 
in  all  Its  fury.  The  old  pines  swayed  and  bent  be- 
fore the  blast  which  swept  over  the  lake,  bearing 
destruction  and  death  on  its  snow-laden  wings. 
The  snow  fell  heavily  and  fast,  as  it  can  fall  in 
those  mountains.  Most  of  the  frightened  cattle, 
despite  the  herder's  vigilance,  "  went  off  with  the 
storm." 

In  the  morning  the  terror-stricken  emigrants  be- 
held one  vast  expanse  of  snow,  and  the  large  white 
flakes  falling  thick  and  fast.  Still  there  was  hope. 
Some  of  the  cattle  and  their  horses  remained. 
They  could  leave  wagons,  and  with  the  horses 
they  might  possibly  cross  the  mountains.  But 
here  aroselanother  diificulty,  Mr.  Donner  was  un- 
well, and  could  not  go — or  preferred  to  wait  until 
the  storm  subsided;  and  Mrs.  Donner,  like  a  true 
woman,  refused  to  leave  her  husband. 

The  balance  of  the  party,  with  the  exception  of 
one,  a  German,  who  decided  to  stay  with  the  fam- 
ily, placed  the  children  on  the  horses,  and  bade 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Donner  a  last  good-by ;  and  after  a 
long  and  perilous  battle  with  the  storm,  they  suc- 
ceeded in  crossing  the  mountains  and  reaching  the 
valleys,  where  the  danger  was  at  an  end.  The 
storm  continued,  almost  without  intermission.for 
several  weeks,  and  those  who  had  crossed  the 
Summit  knew  that  an  attempt  to  reach  the  im- 
prisoned party  would  be  futile— worse  than  folly 
tmtil  the  spring  sun  should  melt  away  the  icy 


barrier. 

I     Of  the  long  and  dreary  winter  passed  by  these 

I  three  persons,  who  shall  tell  ?    The  tall  stumps 

standing  near  where  stood  the  cabin,  attest  the 

depth  of  snow.    Some  of  them  are  twenty  feet  in 

height. 

Early  in  the  spring  a  party  of  brave  men,  led  by 
Claude  Cheney,  started  from  the  valley  to  bring 
out  the  prisoners,  expecting  to  find  them  alive 
and  well,  for  it  was  supposed  that  they  had  pro- 
,  visions  enough  to  last  them  through  the  winter, 
but  it  seems  they  were  mistaken. 

After  a  desperate  effort,  which  required  weeks 
of  toil  and  exposure,  tha  party  succeeded  in 
scaling  the  mountains,  and  came  to  the  camp  of 
the  Donners.  What  a  sight  met  the  first  glance  1 
In  a  rudely  constructed  cabin,  before  the  Are,  sat 
the  Dutchman,  holding  in  a  vice-like  grasp  a 
roasted  arm  and  hand,  which  he  vas  greedily  eat- 
ing. With  a  wildandfrightenedlook  ho  sprang  to 
his  feet  and  confronted  the  new  comers,  holding 
on  to  the  arm  as  though  he  feared  they  wonld  de- 
prive him  of  his  repast.  The  remains  of  the  arm 
were  taken  from  him  by  main  force,  and  the  ma- 
niac secured.  The  remains  of  Mr.  Donner  were 
found,  and,  with  those  of  his  faithful  wife,  given 
such  burial  as  the  circumstances  would  permit, 
ar.d  taking  the  survivor  with  them,  they  returned 
to  the  valley.  \ 

The  German  recovered,  and  still  lives.  Hif  ^ 
story  is,  that  soon  after  the  party  left,  Mr.  Don- 
ner died,  and  was  buried  in  the  snow.  The  last  of 
the  cattle  escaped,  leaving  but  little  food ;  and 
when  that  was  exhausted,  Mrs.  Donner  died. 
Many  dark  suspicions  of  foul  play  on  the  part  of 
the  only  survivor  have  been  circulated,  but 
whether  they  are  correct  will  never  be  known,  un-  - 
til  the  final  unraveling  of  time's  dark  mysterios. 
Xo.  34  Annex.  *Ro11  Fm  Tliionel».»» 
—Oct.  17th,  1872,  as  an  excursion  train,  loaded 
with  passengers,  most  of  whom  were  women  aad 
children,  rounded  the  curve  close  below  the  tun- 
nel, and  with  No.  f>  train  thundering  along  close 
behind,  the  timbering  in  the  tunnel  was  discov- 
ered by  the  fireman  to  be  on  fire.  The  engineer, 
JohnnyBartholomew, comprehended  the  position 
at  a  glance,  made  one  of  the  most  brilliant  dashes, 
under  the  circumstances,  on  record.  The  train 
past  through  the  tunnel  safely,  when  to  have 
stopped  short  would  have  been  sure  death.  G. 
H.  Jennings,  Esq.,  of  Brooklyr,  N.  Y.,  has  put 
the  following  words  in  the  mouth  of  the  brave 
engineer : 

I  ain't  very  much  on  the  lancy, 
And  all  that  sort  of  stuff. 

For  an  engineer  on  a  railroad 

,   Is  apt  to  be  more  "on  the  rough;" 

He  don't  "go  much"  on  "his  handsome," 
I  freely  "acknowledge  the  com," 

But  he  has  got  to  "git  up"  on  his  "wide-awake," 
That's  "just  as  sure's  you're  born." 

Now,  I'll  tell  you  a  little  story, 

'Bout  "a  run''  we  had  for  our  necks, 
When  we  thought  "old  Gabe"  had  called  us, 

To  "ante  up  our  checks. " 
We  came  'round  the  curve  by  the  tunnel, 

Just  beyond  the  American  Flat, 
A'hen  my  fireman  sings  out,  "Johnny! 

Look  ahead  I    My  God,  what's  that?  " 

You  bet,  I  warn't  long  in  sightin'— 

There  was  plenty  for  me  to  see, 
With  a  train  full  of  kids  an'  wimmen. 

And  their  lives  all  hargin'  on  me— 
For  the  tunnel  was  roarin'  and  blazin', 
,   All  ragin'  with  fire  an'  smoke. 
And  "Number  Six"  close  behind  us— 

"  Q,uick,  sonny!  shove  in  the  coke."    . 


.A- j^inteix:. 


257 


"Whistle  'down  brakes,' "  I  first  thought; 
Then,  think's  I,  "old  boy,  't  won't  do ;" 
And  with  hand  on  throttle  an'  lever, 

I  knew  I  must  roll  ''em  through! 
Through  the  grim  mouth  of  the  tunnel- 
Through  smoke  an'  flame,  as  well- 
Right  into  the  "gateway  of  death,"  boys; 
Right  smack  through  the  "jaws  of  hell!  ** 

The  staunch  "old  gal"  felt  the  pressure 
Of  steam  through  her  iron  joints; 

She  acted  just  like  she  was  human- 
Just  like  she  "knew  all  the  points;  " 

She  glided  along  the  tramway, 
With  speed  of  a  lightning  flash. 

With  a  howl  assuring  us  safety. 
Regardless  of  wreck  or  crash. 

I  'spose  I  might  have  "jumped  the  train, 
In  hope  to  save  sinew  and  bone, 
And  left  them  wimmen  and  children 

To  take  that  ride  alone ; 
But  I  tho't  of  a  day  of  reck'nin' ; 

And  whatever  "Old  John"  done  here, 
No  Lord  ain't  going  to  say  to  him  then, 

"You  went  hack  as  an  engineer  I " 

Ho.  35  Annex.  The  Valley  of  the  Yel- 
Icwstone- No.  7,  of  the  large  illustrations,  is 
engraved  from  a  photograph  taken  by  Prof.  Hay- 
den,  the  great  explorer  of  the  West.  It  presents 
a  view  of  one  of  the  finest  and  most  picturesque 
portions  of  the  valley.  It  is  looking  southward, 
above  the  first  or  lower  canyon,  and  directly  on 
the  Snowy  Range,  whose  white-capped  summits 
may  be  seen  on  the  left  of  the  picture,  extending 
up  the  river.  Below  is  the  first  canyon,  between 
the  high,  narrow,  limestone  walls  of  which,  the 
Yellowstone  flows,  about  three  miles,  and  then 
makes  its  exit  from  the  mountain  region  proper. 
The  valley  is  about  20  miles  in  length,  and  from 
four  to  five  miles  m  width,  and  is  one  of  the  most 
delightful  portions  of  Montana.  (See  Annbx  No. 
26  and  36.) 

No.  36  Annex  The  Falls  of  the  Yel- 
lowstone—as illustrated  in  No.  8  of  our  series  of 
large  views  is  one  of  the  most  perfect  pictures  ever 
made.  It  is  from  a  photograph  taken  by  Prof.  Hay- 
den,  andengravedbyBro8S,of  New  York.  Itrepre- 
sents  the  Lower  Falls  of  the  Yellowstone,  where 
the  waters  make  a  leap  into  the  canyon,  a  dis- 
tance of  350  feet.  -Prof.  Hayden,  in  his  report, 
says :  "After  the  waters  of  the  Yellowstone  roll 
over  the  upper  falls,  (140  feet,)  they  flow  with  great 
rapidity  over  an  apparently  flat,  rocky  bottom, 
which  spreads  out  to  nearly  double  its  width  above 
the  falls,  and  continues  thus  until  near  the  Lower 
Fall,  when  the  channel  again  contracts,  and  the 
waters  seem,  as  it  were,  to  gather  themselves 
into  one  compact  mass,  and  plunge  over  the  preci- 
pice in  detached  drops  of  foam,  as  white  as  snow, 
some  of  the  huge  globules  of  water  shooting  down 
through  the  sunlight,  like  the  white  fire  contents 
of  an  exploded  rocket.  It  is  a  spectacle  infinitely 
more  beautiful  than  the   grande-t  picture  ever 

E resented  of  the  famous  Falls  of  Niagara.  In  the 
nmediate  vicinity  of  the  Lower  Falls,  and  in  the 
grand  canyon,  the  scene  is  indescribably  beauti- 
ral.  A  heavy  mist  arises  from  the  water  at  the 
foot  of  the  falls,  so  derse  that  one  cannot  ap- 
proach within  from  two  to  three  hundred  feet  of 
them,  and  even  then  the  clothes  will  be  drenched 
in  a  few  moments.  Upon  the  glowing,  yellow, 
nearly  vertical  walls  of  the  west  side,  the  mist 
mostly  falls,  and  for  300  feet  from  the  bottom, 
the  wall  is  covered  with    a  thick  matting  of 


mosses,  sedges,  grasses,  and  other  vegetation  of 
the  most  vivid  green,  which  hav^  sent  their 
small  roots  into  the  softened  rocks  and  are  nour- 
ished by  the  ever-ascending  spray.  (See  Annbx 
No.  26  and  35.) 

Xo.3y  Annex.  Falls  of  the  H'illamette 
Biver.    (See  page  215.) 

Xo.  38  Annex.  Cape  Horn.  (See  page  232.) 

]Vo.  39  Annex.  Wood  Hanlins  in  Ne- 
Tada.    (See  page  232.) 

]¥o.  40  Annex.  ]»Iirror  l.ake  Yo-Se- 
mite  Valley.    (See  page  209.) 

Ko.  41  Annex.  The  Pony  Fxpress.  (See 
page  151.) 

Xo.  4»  Annex.  t$ierra  Xevada  Moun- 
tains,   (See  page  138.) 

]\^o.  43  Annex.  3Inunt  i^hasta.  (See 
page  214.) 

UTo.  44  Annex.  IVoodward  <^ardens— 
These  Gardens  were  laid  out  in  1860  by  R.  B. 
Woodward,  Esq.,  a  gentleman  of  enterprise  and 
refined  taste,  to  surround,  adorn  and  beautify  his 
private  residence,  situated  near  the  center  of  the 
grounds.  To  this  end  the  continents  of  both 
America  and  Europe  were  searched  to  procure 
every  variety  of  ornamental  trees,  exotics,  indi- 
genous plants,  or  articles  of  rare  virtue  and 
value.  For  us  to  attempt  to  describe  these  beau- 
tiful grounds,  and  do  justice  to  the  subject,  were 
we  able,  would  take  a  larger  book  than  the  Tour- 
^^'^^\  J^^^^  °^"^^  ^®  ^^^°  'o  be  appreciated.  You 
will  find  in  the  ''Art  Gallery  "  rare  paintings  and 
statuary  ;  in  the  "Zoological  department  ag  eat 
variety  of  different  kinds  of  wild  animals,  inclndi  t.g 
the  California  lion,  and  a  mammoth  griezly  bear, 
weighing  1  600  pounds;  also  a  great  variety  of 
California  birds.  ^ 

In  these  grounds  are  towering  evergreen  trees 
and  crystal  lakes,  oriental  arbors  and  beautiful 
statuary,  delightful  nooks  and  shady  retreats, 
with  creeping  vines,  fragrant  flowers,  sparkling 
f9untains  sweet  music,  and,  above  all,  the  glo- 
rious California  sky.  Possessed  of  all  these  fux- 
uriant  surroundings,  and  with  ample  income, 
could  any  person  be  surprised  that  Mr.  Wood- 
ward should  persistently  decline  to  open  them  to 
the  curious  public?  But  the  time  came  at  last. 
It  was  when  the  soldiers  and  sailors  of  this  coun- 
try lay  bleeding  in  the  hospitals,  on  the  ships,  in 
the  camps,  and  on  the  battle-fields,  with  widows, 
orphans,  suffering,  and  death  on  every  side.  The 
sanitary  fund  was  low.  Money  must  be  had! 
Then  it  was  that  his  noble  heart  leaped  to  the  res- 
cue. The  grounds  were  then  thrown  open  to  the 
public  in  aid  of  the  Sanitary  Fund.  The  re- 
ceipts were  princely;  and  no  one  can  say  how 
many  lives  were  saved,  or  the  sufferings  of  the 
last  moments  of  life  alleviated,  by  the  aid  of  the 
generous  proprietor  of  the  Woodward  Gardens? 
Ihese  gardens  were  opened  permanently  to  the 
public  ip  May,  1866.  They  occupy  five  acres  of 
ground,  lour  of  which  are  bounded  by  Market, 
Mission,  13th  and  14th  streets,  with  one  acre  to 
the  south  of  14th  street,  connected  by  tunnel  un- 
der that  street  from  the  main  garden. 

TSo.  45  Annex.— The  Geysers— Page  184. 

Ho.  46  Annex— The  large  vieiv  of  San 
Francisco— See  page  214. 

Xo.  47  Annex.  [From  page  234.]  The 
Ancient  Kuins  of  Arizona  are  very  exten- 
sive, and  are  scattered  over  a  large  portion  of 
the  TeiTltory.  These  ruins  consist,  in  part,  of 
towns,  cities,  and  scattered  hamlets ;  castles, 
temples  and  great  buildings  ;  fortifications,  huge 
j  walled  enclosures  and  causeways,  together  with 
great  canals,  cisterns  and  reservoirs  of  immense 


258 


^NN-EX. 


feet  in  width ;  one  building  is  350  feet  long  by- 
ISO -wide;  an  immense  castle  is  situated  on  the 
apex  of  a  mountain,  3,000  feet  above  the  valley. 
Potjteryware  and  st&ne  implements  in  great 
variety  are  scattered  about  the  ruins,  while 
rude  hieroglyphics  and  pictures  of  men,  animals, 
birds,  turtles  and  reptiles  are  painted  on  or  cut 
deep  into  the  rocks,  at  dififerent  places  in  the 
country.  Burial,  or  cremation  urns  are  olten 
found,  some  containing  ashes  and  partly  burned 
human  bones. 

Casa  Grande,  (signifying  'IBig  Hor^e,")  one  of 
these  ruins,  is  situated  a  few  mUes  south  of  the 
Gila  river,  on  a  great  plain,  about  14  miles  north 
of  the  station  of  Casa  Grande.  This  building  is 
one  of  the  best  preserved,  but  unde>  the  medium 
Eize ;  is  63  feet  long  by  45  feet  wide ;  the  walls 
are  of  concrete,  five  feet  thick,  and  are  now 
standing  about  40  feet  in  height,  or  a  little  over 
four  stories. 

These  ruins  are  pre-historic ;  the  builders  have 
long  since  passed  away,  leaving  no  records  of 
■who  they  were  ;  when  they  lived ;  whence  they 
came,  or  whither  they  went. 

The  first  account  in  history  of  these  ruins  date 
back  over  300  years —to  the  Sixteenth  Century— 
at  which  time  the  Jesuit  Fathers  explored  and 
described  the  country ;  [its  ruins  and  people ; 
their  reports  differ  in  no  essential  points  from 
those  of  a  later  period,  nor  could  the  Father* 
procure  any  information  from  the  Indians  then 
inhabiting  the  country,  that  would  aid  them  to 
establish  the  identity  of  the  people  who  had 
built  the  cities,  towns  and  other  improvements, 
and  who  undoubtedly  possessed  Btuch  civiliza- 
tion, and  lived  by  cultivating  the  soil. 

Ko.  4»  Annex.  Painted  Kofks.— Mr. 
Hodge,  in  his  work,  "Arizona  as  it  is,"  says: 
"This  mass  of  rock  rises  from  the  surface  of  the 
plam  to  &  height  of  perhaps  5©  feet,  the  upper- 
most being  a  broken  ledge  from  which  masses 
have  fallen  off,  and  the  whole  covering  less  than 
an  acre  of  ground.  On  the  standing  ledge  and, 
on  the  brokenmasses  at  its  base,  are  carved  deep 
in  the  surface  rude  representations  of  men, 
animals,  birds  and  reptiles,  and  of  numerous 
objects,  real  or  imaginary,  some  of  which^epre- 
sent  checker  boards,  some  camels  and  drome- 
daries, insects,  snakes,  turtles,  etc.,  etc.;  and 
on  the  other  broken  rocks  at  the  base  of  the 
ledge,  are  found  on  all  sides  like  sculptured  fig- 
ures, some  of  which  are  deeply  imbedded  in  the 
Baud.  These  pictured  rocks  present  much  of 
interest  to  the  thinking  mind,  and  when  exam- 
ined by  some  one  versed  in  hieroglyphica}  read- 
ing, may  be  found  to  giv«  some  clue  to  the  time 
of  making  and  the  people  who  made  them." 

The  earUest  accountwe  have  of  these  "Painted 
Rocks,"  as  well  as  the  "Ancient  Ruins"  of 
Arizona,  comes  from  the  exploration  of  the 
Jesuit  Fathers,  who  traversed  the  country  in 
tqe  Sixteenth  Century.  In  comparing  their  re- 
ports with  the  appearance  of  the  "Rocks"  and 
"Ruins"  of  the  preseht  time,  very  little,  if  any, 
change  is  noticeable.  The  Indians,  in  answer 
to  all  questions  of  the  Fathers,  as  to  who  carved 
the  rocks,  or  built  the  towers  and  cities  then  in 
ruins,  received  the  same  answer  as  the  Pima 
Indians  give  at  the  present  time,  which  was, 
"Moc-te-zu-ma. " 

Ko.  49.  Annex.  Tiewina:  Progress— 
During  the  construction  of  the  Pacifid  Railroad- 
and,  in  fact,  for  many  years  afterwards— the 
locomotive,  cars,  and  all  persons  connected  with 
the  road ,  were  viewed  with  great  curiosity  by 


the  Indians  in  the  country  through  which  it  was 
built.  The  engines  —  "fire  wagons"  —  and  the 
long  train  of  cars  —  "heap  wagon  no  hoss"  —  re- 
ceived the  Indians'  special  attention ;  aud  they 
would  gather  around  on  the  hills  at  first,  and 
then  cautiously  approach  and  watch  every  move- 
ment— lying  around  for  days  and  months  at  a 
time.  From  the  commencement  of  the  building 
of  the  road  through  the  Indian  country  until  its 
completion,  the  Indians  had  a  wholesome  fear  of 
the  "fire  wagons."  They  would  often  attack 
small  parties  of  graders,  or  stragglers  from  the 
camps ;  but  only  in  two  or  three  instances  did 
they  attempt  to  disturlo  the  passing  trains,  and 
in  those  cases  they  were  punished  so  8eve)-ely, 
that  ever  afterward  they  declared  "fire-wagon" 
bad  medicine. 

The  illustration  on  page  233  represents  a  small 
party  of  Apache  Mohaves ,  headed  by  theu'  famous 
war  chief,  Mi-ra-ha,  in  1868,  who,  having  heard 
about  the  terrible  '  'fire-wagons,"  lef  ttheir  country 
in  north eruArizona,  and  made  a  pilgrimage  to  the 
northward,  many  hundred  miles  to  view  the  great 
curiosity.  We  learned  from  a  half-breed,  on  a  re- 
cent visit  to  Arizona,  that  Mi-ra-ha,  after  his  re- 
turn to  Arizona,  resolved  to  gather  his  forces  and 
capture  one  of  these  Pacific  railroad  'fire- wagons.' 
But  as  Gen.  Crook  made  it  very  lively  for  him  at 
home  formany  years  after  his  return,  and  as  Capt. 
Porter  sent  him  to  his  "happy  hunting  ground," 
in  1876,  he  has  probably  got  all  he  can  attend  to. 

Ko.  50.  Annex.  Palaee  Hotel  at  San 
Francisco. — This  monster  hotel  of  the  world, 
is  situated  in  the  city  of  San  Francisco  occupy- 
ing one  entire  biock  of  ground,  344  by  265  feet, 
bounded  by  New  Montgomery,  Market,  Annie 
and  Jessie  streets.  It  is  seven  stories  high  (115 
feet),  the  foundation  walls  are  twelve  feet  thick, 
while  the  exterior  and  interior  walls  range  from 
1)6  feet  to  4J^  feet  in  thickness. 

The  foundation  walls  at  tfieir  bafee,  are  built 
with  inyerted  arcnes.  Afl  exterior,  interior  and 
partition  walls,  at  every  five  feet,"  commencing 
from  the  bottom  of  the  foundation,  are  banded 
together  with  bars  of  iron,  forming,  as  it  were,  a 
perfect  iron  basket-work  filled  in  with  brick.  The 
quantity  of  iron  so  used,  increases  in  every  story 
towards'  the  roof,  and  in  the  upper  story  the  iron 
bands  are  only  two  feet  apart. 

The  roof  is  of  tin,  the  partitions  of  brick  and 
the  cornice  of  zinc  and  iron.  The  building  has 
three  courts,  the  center  one  having  an  iron- 
framed  glass  covering,  and  is  144  by'84  feet,  with  a 
drive-way  and  sidewalk  opening  on  New  Montgom- 
ery street,  forty -feet  wide.  The  two  outer  courts, 
from  the  basement  level,  are  each  22  by  135  feet, 
with  two  drive-ways,  20  feet  wide,  one  from 
Market  and  Annie  streets,  and  one  from  Amiie 
an*'  Jessie  streets.  These  are  connected  by  two 
brick-arched  passage-ways,  ten  feet  in  width, 
allowing  ample  space  for  a  four-in-hand  team  to 
pass  under  and  through  them. 

Besides  the  city  water- works,  a  supply  of  water 
comes  from  four  artesian  wells  of  a  ten-inch  bore, 
whichhave  a  capacity  of  28,000  gallons  per  hour. 
A  reservoir  is  located  under  the  centre  court,  cap- 
able of  containing  630,000  gallons.  On  the  roof  are 
seventanks.  which  will  contain  128,000  gallons. 

The  hotel  is  suppUed  with  two  steam  force 
pumps  for  water,  two  additional  for  fire,  five  ele- 
vators, together  vrith  aU  the  modern  improve- 
ments, aud  built  throughout  in  the  most  sub- 
stantial manner.  (See  illustration  page  180.) 

Wo.  5a  Annex.  *'Prickey/»  the  Horned 
Tuadi    Seepage  126. 


Bay  of  San  IVaodKO. 


Oakland  Wharf. 

SAN  FRANCISCO,  THE  GOLDEN    GATE,  ANi 


(See  Annex  No.  46.) 


^  ]Sr  N"  E  X 


259 


No.  53  Annex.  iro-!!^eiiiite  and  Big 
Trees.    See  page  184. 

UTo.  54  AN^fEX.  Our  Artists—The  greater 
portion  oi  the  engraving  in  this  work  was  exe- 
cuted by  R.  S.  Bross,  of  New  York,  and  C.  W. 
Chandler,  cor.  Madison  and  Dearborn  Sts.,  Chi- 
cago. Nearly  all  the  large  views,  including  "Utah's 
Best  Crop,"  "Women  of  the  Period,"  and  "Brig- 
ham  Young,"  and  most  of  the  large  views  were 
engraved  from  photographs,  by  Mr.  Bross,  while 
the  "Orange  Orchard,"  "The  Loop,"  "Crossing 
the  Sangre  de  Christo  Mountains,"  Yucca  Palm," 
"Hanging  Rock  of  Utah,"  etc.,  were  engraved  by 
Mr.  Chandler. 

The  photographs  were  by  Savage,  of  Salt  Lake 
City,  and  Watkins  and  Houseworth,  of  San 
Francisco.  All  of  these  artists  we  take  pleasure 
in  recommending. 

No.  55  Annex.  The  "Boss"  Cactus  of 
til e  World — onpage233i  a  simple  reference 
has  been  made  to  this  wonderful  Sprout  as  being 
pecuhar  to  the  Gila  Desert.  It  is  possible  they 
may  grow  in  other  portions  of  the  Territory,  but 
certain  1   is,  these  are  the  first  on  our  route. 

These  Cacti  are  of  different  shades  of  green  and 
yellow,  and  rise  from  the  ground  in  the  shape  of 
a  huge  cone,  many  tc  the  height  of  60  feet,  with  a 
diameter  of  three  feet  near  the  ground.  Some  of 
these  great  cones  have  from  one  to  five  smaller 
cones  that  branch  out  from  the  main  trunk  at 
differen.  heights,  and  shoot  up  parallel  with  it  to 
various  heights,  all  presenting  the  same  general 
appearance.  •* 

All  these  cones  are  grooved  from  top  to  bottom, 
the  grooves  being  from  one  to  three  inches  in 
depth  and  as  many  inches  apart ;  the  whole  sur- 
face is  covered  with  thorns  of  various  sizes,— 
some  three  inches  in  length  ;  and  all  very  sharp. 

These  cacti  have  a  tough  flaxen  shell  or  exte- 
rior, but  a  soft,  pithy  inside,  and  produce  one 
blossom  annually— on  the  top— and  yield  a  kind 
of  fruit  much  prized  by  the  natives. 

On  the  Gila  Desert,  no  tree  or  shrub  grows 
more  than  a  few  feet  from  the  ground,  and  rattle- 
snakes, lizards,  owls,  and  woodpeckers  are  about 
the  only  living  things  noticeable. 

How  the  lizard  and  owl  manaye  to  raise  the 
young,  and  keep  them  from  being  devoured  by  the 
snake,  is  a  problem  which  the  woodpecker  alone 
has  solved  by  pecking  a  hole  in  the  tall  cactus  near 
its  top,  making  its  nest,  and  raising  its  young  se- 
cure from  the  snake  and  all  its  ^reeping  enemies. 
As  we  ride  along  and  see  Mr.  Woodpecker  peeking 
out  from  his  fortress  in  the  tall  cactus.we  cannot 
help  but  admire  the  sagacity  of  the  little  fellow, 
while  condemning  his  j  udgment  for  attempting  to 
live  and  bring  up  a  respectable  family  in  such  a 
•'God-forsaken  country"  as  the  Gila  Desert. 

No.  5"*  Annex,  ^nie-w  Hacrameiito  De- 
pot.   See  page  173. 

No.  03  Annex.  The  IM[anim:»th  Snow 
Plow.     See  page  126. 

No.  6 1  Annex.  Arizona  is  a  Territory  of 
122,000  square  miles,  more  than  double  the  size 
of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  and,  if  reports  are 
true,  contains  a  wealth  of  minerals  far  exceeding 
any  i)ortion  of  the  United  States.  Indian  diffi- 
culties have  had  much  to  do  in  retarding  the  set- 
tlement of  the  Teiritory,  but  happily  they  are 
now  at  an  end,  and  the  proximity  of  the  "iron 
horse"  has  had  a  tendency  to  direct  attention  to 
this  heretofore  almost  inaccessible  region,  the 
result  of  which  will  soon  enable  the  land  of  Ari- 
zunna— "The  Beautiful  ot  the  Sun"— to  come  for- 
ward and  demand  admission  into  the  Union  of 


States  as  one  more  star  in  the  bright  constella- 
tion. Spanish  Adventurers  penetrated  Arizona 
as  early  as  1540,  but  no  permanent  settlenaent  was 
made  until  1560,  when  the  Jesuit  Fathers  settled 
with  their  followers  at  Tucson.  In  1725  there 
were  thirty  missions  within  the  present  limits  of 
Arizona,  besides  seventy-one  Indian  villages  in 
charge  of  the  Jesuit  Missionaries.  At  that  time 
these  missions  were  in  the  height  of  their  pros- 
perity, and  from  which  time  they  commenced  to 
decline,  owing  principally  to  Indian  difficulties. 
Many  of  the  Missions  were  burned  and  the 
priests  murdered. 

The  mineral  deposits  of  Arizona  are  very  exten- 
sive and  very  rich  ;  principally  gold,  silver,  cop- 
per and  coal,  but  we  have  no  space  to  particularize. 
We  will  simply  presentafew  "items,"  andchron- 
ological  events :  In  1540,  the  Spanish  viceroy — 
Mendoza  -ordered  an  exploration  of  Arizona,  at 
which  time  there  were  200  silver  mines  being 
worked.  The  miners  and  people  were  despoiled 
and  immense  wealth  carried  away  to  Madrid, 
Spain. 

In  March,  1539,  Padre  Marco  de  Niza,  and 
Senor  Estivanico — a  man  of  color — left  Cahacana 
—New  Spain— and  reached  the  Gila  River,  and 
discovered  the  Pima  Indian  villages,  at  the  same 
point  in  the  valley  that  their  descendents  are 
now  found. 

In  1560,  the  first  settlement  was  made  at  Tuc- 
son. An  Indian  outbreak  in  1802,  and  again  in 
1827,  made  the  tenure  of  the  Spanish  rule  pre- 
carious and  practically  ended  it ;  yet,  soldiers 
remained  in  the  country  in  small  numbers  until 
1840.  In  1824,  Sylvester  Pattie  and  his  son 
James— formerly  of  Bardstown,  Ky.— visited  Ari- 
zona on  a  trapping  expedition,  failing  in  their  ef- 
forts to  find  game,  they  were  arrested  by  order 
of  the  Mexican  commander  of  San  Diego  and  im- 
prisoned, where  the  father  died.  Sometime  af- 
terwards James  was  released,  and  joined  the 
famous  Walker  expedition  and  was  killed  in 
battle. 

In  1849,  the  "Southern  Route"— through  Ari- 
zona— was  much  frequented  by  emigrants  en- 
route  for  the  gold  fields  of  California,  which  re- 
sulted in  much  suffering  and  loss  of  life. 

Arizona  and  New  Mexico  were  ceded  to  the 
United  States  by  Mexico,  February  2d,  1848— or 
that  portion  laying  north  of  the  Gila  and  MasiUa 
valleys.  The  portion  to  the  south,  was  not  ac- 
quired until  December  30,  1853,  and  was  known 
as  the  "Gads-den's  Purchase."  This  last  acquisi- 
tion formed  a  part  of  Sonora.  The  Boundary 
Commission  commenced  its  work  in  the  sununer 
of  1849  and  completed  it  in  1855. 

Cap.  John  Moss — is  said  to  be  the  first  explorer 
of  the  Grand  Canon  of  the  Colorado.in  1850.  Major 
Heintzehnan  located  Fort  Yuma  in  1 85 1 .  Lieut. 
Ives,  explored  the  Colorado  River  and  its  lower 
canons,  in  1854. 

Lieut.  A.  B.  Gray,  in  1854,  made  a  survey  for 
a  railroad  fi-om  Marshall,  Texas,  to  El  Paso  and 
thence  westward  to  Tubac,  from  which  point 
branch  surveys  were  made  to  PostLabos,  on  the 
Gulf  ef  California,  and  via  Yuma  to  San  Diego.— 
This  line  was  known  as  the  Hon.  Robert  J. 
Walker  route,  for  which  bonds  were  issued  in 
1852. 

Lieut.  Park,  in  1854-5,  ma4e  a  survey  from 
San  Diego,  Cal.,  via  Yuma  and  Tucson  to  El  Paso, 
Texas. 

Yuma — first  called  Arizona  City — was  laid 
out  in  1854.  In  August,  1856,  a  party  left  San 
Antonio,  Texas,  to  prospect  for  mineral  in  Ari- 


260 


--^  N  N  K  X . 


zona.  Their  route  was  via  Apache  Pass— and  a 
perilous  one.  Upon  their  arrival  at  Tubac— tiie 
party  was  divided  and  a  hunt  for  silver  mines 
commenced  through  the  mountains  of  Santa  Tlita, 
Arivaca  and  the  Cerro  Colorado.  Many  mines 
were  discovered  and  several  companies  formed 
for  working  them,  but  the  Apaches  got  away 
with  most  of  the  mineral  and  all  the  scalps. 

The  Crabb  expedition— of  1,000  men— raised 
in  California,  in  1856-7,  for  colonizing  Sonora, 
reached  Sonoita,  Arizona,  in  March,  1857.  By 
invitation  of  the  Sonora  authorities,  an  advance 
of  1§0  men  with  their  commander,  Henry  A. 
Crabb,  entered  Sonora  soon  after,  and  were  met 
at  Coborca,  by  Pesqueira,  Governor  of  the  State 
of  Sonora,  and  every  person  killed.  Crabbs'  head 
was  cut  off  and  sent  by  the  Governor  to  the  City 
of  Mexico,  as  an  evidence  of  his  loyalty  to  his 
government.  This  act  checked  immigration  to 
Sonora. 

In  1857,  Senator  Guinu  of  California,  endeav- 
ored to  secure  a  territorial  organization  for  Ari- 
zona, but  failed. 

In  August,  1857,  J.  C.  Woods,  established  a 
semi-monthly  stage  line,  between  San  Antonio, 
Texas,  and  San  Diego,  Cal.  In  1858,  the  Butter- 
field  semi-weekly  stage  line  was  established,  be- 
tween St.  Louis,  Mo.,  and  San  Francisco,  Cal., 
with  a  subsidy  from  the  Government  of  8600,000 
a  year.— Time  82  days.  His  service  was  faith- 
fully performed— without  a  single  failure— until 
1861,  "the  outbreak  of  our  civil  war,  when  the 
route  was  changed,  leaving  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  and 
going  via  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah. 

In  1861,  the  Government  troops  were  with- 
drawn from  Arizona  and  the  Indians  and  des- 
perados took  possession. 

In  1860,  Senator  Green  of  Missouri,  endeav- 
ored to  have  a  bill  passed  for  a  temporary  Gov- 
ernment for  Arizona,  but  failed. 

In  1 860,  a  fillibustering  expedition  was  fitted 
out  in  Cahfornia  to  invade  Sonora,  but  without 
result. 

The  27th  of  February,  1862,  Cap.  Hunter  of 
the  Southern  Confederacy  with  100  men,  took 
possession  of  Tucson.  The  advance  of  Gen'l 
Carlton,  with  the  California  column  of  Federal 
troops,  met  Capt.  Hunter's  forces,  near  Pecacho 
Peak— 40  miles  west  of  Tucson— resulting  in  a 
victory  for  Gen'l  Carlton,  and  the  retreat  of  all 
Confederate  troops  into  Texas. 

February  24th,  1863,  Congress  passed  the  Or- 
ganic Act,  estabhshing  Arizona  as  a  Territory, 
with  John  N.  Goodwin,  of  Maine,  as  Governor. 
Arizona,  until  February  24th,  1863,  was  a  part 
of  New  Mexico. 

The  Territory  was  formally  organized  on  Dec. 
24th,  1863,  at  Navajo  Springs.  40  miles  north- 
west from  the  noted  Zuni  Pueblo. 

When  the  Territory  was  organized,  it  was  said 
to  contain  32,400  Indians  and  only  580  Whites. 

An  old  Arizonian  said,  when  he  saw  the  first 
locomotive  coming :  "I  felt  just  as  though  I  must 
go  and  hug  it." 

In  1880,  the  production  of  precious  metals  in 
Arizona  was  $4,472,471.  In  1881,  the  same  was 
$8,198,766— an  increase  of  ;$3,726,295.  Should 
we  ventur^  to  prophesy— tor  1882 — oxir  figures 
would  exceed  $10,000,000,  and  —  for  1890  — 
$25,000,000.  'This  Territory— in  a  mineral  point 
of  view—  is  greatly  underrated. 

The  Indian  troubles  of  last  year  have  tended  to 
make,  not  only  every  soldier,  but  every  teamster, 
wood-chopper,  burro  puncher,  naule-skinner,  bull- 
whacker  and  all  other  men  —  traveling  arsenals ; 


with  a  belt  about  the  waist  loaded  with  cartridges, 
a  pair  of  six-shooters,  a  formidable  knife  and  a 
rifle  for  long  range. 

The  soil  in  the  valleys  of  Arizona  is  a  rich' 
gravelly  aUuvium,  and  with  sufBciont  water, 
would  produce  abundant  crops  ;  in  some  portions, 
two  crops  a  year. 

The  rains  come  in  July,  August  and  Septem- 
ber, and  the  sand  storms  cloud  bursts  tCnd  "bliz-- 
zards"  occasionally. 

During  our  civil  war,  Arizona  was  one  field  c.f 
carnage.  Indian  depredations,  nearly  devastated 
the  country. 

Over  40,000  square  miles  of  coal  formation  can 
be  traced  in  the  Territory ;  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant is  the  San  Carlos  Indian  Reservation. 

Just  east  of  Old  Maricopa  Wells  stage  station, 
at  the  base  of  the  FiStrella  range,  may  bo  seen  a 
remarkable  formation,  representing  distinctly 
the  perfect  face  of  a  man  reclining,  with  his' eyes 
closed,  as  though  in  sleep.  The  Indiai:s  in  this 
country  have  a  legend  concerning  this  face.  They 
believe  it  is  Montezuma's  face— and  that  ho  will 
awaken  from  his  long  sleep  someday,  willgatht  r 
aL  the  brave  and  the  faithful  around  him,  uplift 
his  down-trodden  people,  expell  the  invad'  rs  on 
his  rights,  and  restore  to  his  kingdom  all  the 
great  power  and  glory,  as  it  was  before  the 
white  man  visited  it.— It  is  reported,  that  in 
some  localities,  watch-fires  are  kept  constantly 
burning  in  anticipation  of  Montezuma's  early 
coming. 

\o.  65  Annex.  BMIQRA^T  SI>EKP- 
IXO  CAK!S— Of  all  the  improvements  adopted 
by  Railroad  companies  in  this  country,  for  the 
comfort  and  convenience  of  their  passengers,  the 
Sleeping'  Car,  is  the  most  important,  and  we 
might  add,  the  most  expensive  tj  the  passengers. 
Indeed,  the  charges  for  berths  in  Sleeping  Cars, 
on  many  roads— together  with  onerous  perquis- 
ites, virtually  exclude  the  great  r  portion  of  the 
traveling  public.  Most  men  emigrating  with 
their  wives  and  families  to  the  El  Dorado  of  the 
West,  start  with  small  means,  depending  upon 
pluck,  energy  and  hard  work,  for  the  future  out- 
come ;  these  parties  cannot  pay  tL  ee  or  more 
dollars  a  day  for  sleeping  accommodations,  how- 
ever anxious  they  may  be,  to  alleviate  the  hard- 
ships incidental  to  a  long  journey  in  the  emi- 
grant cars. 

The  honest,  sober,  industrious,  economical  and 
enterprising  emigrant,  is  the  geimof  life  in  our 
trans-Missouri  country.  To  cherish,  aid,  and 
ameliorate  the  condition  of  the  emigrant,  is  to 
hasten  the  settlement  of  tho  vast  amount  of  un- 
occupied land,  and  the  developement  of  the  enor- 
mous mineral  and  other  resources  of  the  great 
West,  the  results  of  which,  are  not  only  of  great 
interest  to  all  good  citizens,  hnt  of  paramount 
importance  to  the  great  Railroads  of  the  country, 
the  basis  of  whose  existence  are  founded  upon  the 
very  class  of  emigrants  named,  without  which 
they  would  never  have  been  built. 

Families  emigrating,  should  have  the  special 
care  ,  attention,  and  protection,  of  the  Railroad 
companies'  agents,  over  whose  road  they  are  trav- 
eling, t  gether  with  all  the  comforts  and  conveni- 
ences possible,  and  at  the  luwest  rates  of  fare. 

The  Pacific  Railroad  companies'  agents  have  al- 
ways been  noted  for  the  fatherly  attention  shown 
their  emigrant  passengers,  and  the  Sleeping  Cars 
now  in  use  by  this  line,  especially  for  their  emi- 
grants, are  for  comfort  and  convenience,  far  in 
advance  of  any  car  heretofore  used  on  emigrant 
trains.  These  cars  are  44  feet  long,  9  feet  4  inches 


j^  IT  3^  E3  x:. 


In  order  not  to  encumber  the  body  of  this  work  with  matters  that  do  not  directly 
pertain  to  the  main  points  at  issue,  the  author  has  originated  an  "  annex,"  wherein  the 
reader  will  find  a  mass  of  information  which  has  been  prepared  with  great  care,  and 
embraces  condensed  descriptions  and  statistical  information  gathered  from  the  best 
sources.  To  these  points  the  reader  is  frequently  referred,  throughout  the  work,  by  a 
number  to  correspond  with  the  annex  sought.  The  numbers  at  the  bottom  of  the  large 
illustrations,  which  begin  at  the  first  of  the  book ,  will  be  found  to  correspond  with 
those  in  the  annex,  giving  a  description  of  the  same,  and, vice  versa. 


Ko.  1   Annex     American   Progress.— 

This  beautiful  picture,  which  is  No,  1  of  our 
large  views,  ia  purely  national  in  design, 
and  r  presents  the  United  States'  portion 
of  the  American  Continent  ;  the  beauty 
and  variety,  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific 
Ocean,  illustrating  at  a  glance  the  grand  drama 
of  Progress  in  the  civilization,  settlement,  and 
history  of  this  country. 

In  the  foreground,  the  central  and  principal  fig- 
ure, a  beautiful  and  charming  female,  is  floating 
westward  through  the  air,  bearing  on  her  forehead 
the  ''•  Star  of  Empire."  She  has  left  the  cities 
of  the  East  far  behind,  crossed  the  Alleghanies 
and  the  "Father of  Waters,"  and  still  her  course 
is  westward.  In  her  right  hand  she  carries  a  book — 
common  school — the  emblem  of  education  and  the 
testimonial  of  our  national  enlightenment,  while 
with  the  left  hand  she  unfolds  and  stretches  the 
Blender  wires  of  the  telegraph,  that  are  to  flash 
Intelligence  throughout  the  land.  On  the  right  of 
the  picture,  is  a  city,  steamships,  manufactories, 
Bchools  and  churches,  over  whicn  beams  of  light 
are  streaming  and  filling  the  air— indicative  of 
Civilizition.  The  general  tone  of  the  picture  on 
the  left,  declares  darkness,  waste  and  confusion. 
From  the  city  proceed  the  three  great  continental 
lines  of  railway,  passing  the  frontier  settler's  rude 
cabin  and  tending  toward  the  Western  Ocean. 
Next  to  these  are  the  transportation  wagons, 
overland  stage,  hunters,  gold-seekers,  pony  ex- 
press, the  pioneer  emigrant,  and  the  war-dance  of 
the  " noble  red  man."  Fleeing  from  "Progress," 
and  toward  the  blue  waters  of  the  Pacific,  which 
shows  itself  on  the  left  of  the  picture,  beyond  the 
snow-capped  summits  of  the  Sierra  Nevadas,  are 
the  Indians,  buflalo,  wild  horses,  bears,  and  other 

fame,  moving  westward— ever  westward.  The 
ndians,  with  their  squaws,  pappooses,  and 
*' pony-lodges,"  turn  their  despairing  faces  toward 
the  setting  sun,  as  they  flee  from  the  presence  of 
the  wondrous  vision.  The  "Star"  is  too  much 
for  them.  What  American  man,  woman  or  child, 
does  not  feel  a  heart-throb  of  exultation  as  they 
think  of  the  glorious  achievements  of  Progress 
since  the  landing  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers,  on 
staunch  old  Plymouth  Rock ! 

This  picture  was  the  design  of  the  author  of  the 
Tourist— is  National,  and  illustrates,  i:^  the 
most  artistic  manner,  all  those  gigantic  resui^  of 
American  brains  and  hands,  which  have  caused 
the  mighty  wilderness  to  blossom  like  the  rose. 

16 


No.  iS   Annbz.    Passage  Ticket  Meiuorandi> 


No.  3  Annex.    Baggage  Check   Memoranda. 


244 


^NN-E  X 


No.  4.   Annex.- RATES  OF  FARE. 


New  York  to  Sau  Francisco,  California .• 

Philadelphia  to"  "  "  

Baltimore  to      "  "  "  

Boston  to  "  "  "  

Cincinnati  to      "  "  "  

Indianapolis  to "  "  " 

Chicago  to  "     ,      "  "  

St.  Louis  to       "     '      "  "  

Omaha  to  Grand  Island,  Nebraska 

"  North  Platte,  " 

"  Sidney,  "         ♦»#. 

"  Denver,  Colorado , 

"  Colorado  Springs,  Colorado 

"  Pueblo,  Colorado 

"  Cheyenne,  Wyoming   

"  Deadwood,  Black  Hills,  via  Stage  from  Sidney 

"  Laramie,  Wyoming 

"  Ogden,  Utah 

«  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah 

"  Virginia  City,  Montana  via  Stage  from  Dillon 

"  Deer  Lodge,  "         

"  Helena,  "         

"  Corinne,  Utah 

"  Boise  City,  Idaho,     via  Stage  from  Shoshone 

"  Silver  City,      "  "        "  "  

"  Baker  City,  Oregon,    "        "  "  "  

Walla  Walla,  Wash'n,"        "  "  "  

"  Umatilla,  Oregon,       "        "  "  "  

"  Dalles,  Oregon,  "        "  "  "  

"  Portland,  via  Stage  from  Shoshone 

"  "  "        "         «      Redding , 

"  "  "    Steamer  from  San  Francisco , 

"  Elko,  Nevada 

"  Battle  Mountain,  Nevada 

•       "  Reno,  " 

Virginia  City,  "        via  V.  &  T.  R.  R.  from  Reno 

"  Truckee,    California 

"  MarysvUle,        "        

"  Sacramento,      "        

"  Stockton,  "        

"  Los  Angeles,      "        all  Rail  via  Lathrop 

"  Los  Angeles,      "       via  Steamer  from  San  Francisco. 

"  Santa  Barbara, "         "  "  "        "  " 

"  San  Diego,         "         «  «  «        «  «        ^ 

"  San  Jose  "        

"  San-Francisco,"        '. 


1st  Cla3S  2d  Class  Emigrant 


$137  35 

134  85 

131  85 

137  75 

114  25 

113  85 

113  50 

105  85 

6  20 

11  65 

16  85 

25  00 

25  00 

25  00 
22  00 
40  5(f 

26  20 

60  00 
62  00 
65  10 
68  10 
68  10 

61  75 


106  75 
106  75 
108  60 

114  05 
120  00 
139  25 
120  00 

80  50 
86  75 

98  00 
101  00 

99  00 
100  00 
100  00 
100  00 
100  00 

115  00 
110  00 
115  00 
100  00 
100  00 


$102  25 
100  75 
99  50 
104  25 

87  50 

88  00 
88  00 
82  00 


22  00 
22  00 
22  00 
20  00 
35  50 


50  00 

52  00 

50  10 

53  10 
53  10 

51  35 
71  60 
78  60 
85  00 
90  75 
85  00 
85  00 
85  00 

114  25 
85  00 
70  10 
75  00 
75  00 
78  00 
75  00 
75  00 
75  00 
75  00 
78  00 
85  00 
82  50 
85  00 
75  00 
75  00 


$75  00 
73  50 
09  50 
76  00 
60  00 
58  00 
58  00 
52  00 


24  20 

40  00 
42  00 
42  00 
45  00 
45  00 

41  75 
53  50 
60  50 
65  45 
69  00 

65  45 

66  95 
66  95 
84  25 
55  00 
45  00 
45  00 
45  00 
48  00 
45  00 
45  00 
45  00 
45  00 
47  50 
55  00 
52  50 
55  00 
45  00 
45  00 


Children  under  five  years  of  age,  free ;    under  twelve  years,  half-fare. 

Cars  can  be  chartered  for  carrying  passengers;   each  person  must  be  provided  with  a 
Ticket. 


Hfo.  5.— Annex. 

OUB  WESTERN  COUNTRY 


TPast  and  Present— This  country  can  no 
longer  be  spoken  of  as  the  "Far  West,"  as  that 
land  is  generally  conceded  to  lie  nearer  sundown, 
or,  at  least,  beyond  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Ne- 
braska, which  we  enter  on  crossing  the  river,  so 
lately  opened  up  to  the  world,  and  so  lately  con- 
sidered one  portion  of  the  "Wild  West,"  forms 
now  one  of  our  central  States.  It  possesses  a 
genial  climate,  good  water,  and  a  fair  pupply  of 
timber,  and  the  broad  prairies  of  the  eastern  por- 


tion of  #the  State  are  dotted  with  well-cultivated 
and  well-stocked  farms,  that  greet  the  eye  of  the 
traveler  in  every  direction,  while  on  all  sides 
may  be  seen  the  evidences  of  thrift  and  comfort 
found  only  in  a  farming  region.  Wheat,  oats  and 
corn  yield  luxuriant  returns,  and  all  kinds  of 
fruits  and  garden  vegetables,  incidental  to  this 
latitude,  can  be  grown  in  profusion.  Rarely  will 
the  traveler  find  a  more  magnificent  scene,  and 
more  suggestive  of  real  wealth  and  prosperity, 
than  can  be  seen  on  these  broad  prairies,,  when 
the  fields  of  yellow  grain  or  waving  corn  are 
waiting  for  the  harvesters.  Miles  and  ^iles 
away  stretch  the  undulating  plains,  far-^aye, 
farther  than  the  eye  can  see. 


^  :N-i>r  jffix. 


^^ll,h  raised  roof,  patent  air  brake  couplers, 
all  modern  Sleeping  Car  improvements, — 
i>ting  only  upholstery,— and  will  accommo- 
48  persons.    The  seat  frames,  are  of  iron, 
jack  and  seats  and  upper  berths  are  wood 
.    The  seats  let  down,  and  the  upper  berths 
loiit  up,  the  same  as  -those  in  the  Palace  Sleepers 
now  in  use  on  the  first-class  trains.    The  wood- 
work about  the  seats  and  upper  berths  is  ash, 
'  -hed/ind  varnished — without  paint. 

most  emigrants  are  provided  with  blankets, 
.  iiiore  or  less  bedding  of  their  own,  they  are 
iuablod  to  get  along  very  comfortably,  and  as  no 
•xtra  charge  is  made  for  the  Sleepers — economic- 
ally. 

9io.    66    Annex.    [From    page   32.]    TIIR 
09IAHA,     moBKAHA     &     BT.ACK 
HlfiLH  K.  K.    This  road  was  commenced  in 
~:">,  at  Jackson,  Neb.,  on  the  line  of  the  Union 
he,  seven  miles  west  of  Columbus,  and  99 
of  Qmaha,  and  is  now  completed  and  run- 
to  Norfolk,  46  miles  north,  at  which  place  it 
'  cts  with  the  railroad  running  up  the  Elk- 
I  Valley  from  Fremont.    [See  page  29.]    This 
now  road  runs  through  a  rich  agricultural  and 
Tvell-sottled  section  of  country,  and,  as  its  name 
implies,  its  objective  point  is  the  gold  regions  of 
the  Black  Hills, towards  which  it  is  being  pushed 
with  the  usiial  energy  displayed  by  the  Union 


Pacific  management,  by  whom  it  is  controlled. 
The  line  of  this  road  has  recently  been  changed 
and  now  runs  from  Coliimbus. 

ITEMS— Gold— It  is  reported  that  Sir  Fran- 
cis Drake  was  the  first  discoverer  of  gold  on  tho 
Pacific  Coast.  He  landed  on  the  coast  a  few  miles 
north  of  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco,  in  the  suinnier 
of  1578,  and  reported  to  Queen  Elizabeth  :  '•  There 
is  no  part  of  earth  here  to  be  taken  up  wherein 
there  is  not  a  reasonable  quantity  of  gold  and 
silver."    "Yet  the  discovery  was  not  followed  up. 

ITEMS.  —  The  Southern  Pacific  Koilroad 
reached  El  Paso,  Texas,  May  1 3th,  3  88 1.  The 
Texas  &  Pacific  connects  with  the  Southern  at 
Sierra  Blanca,  91)6  miles  east  from  El  Paso,  and 
runs  into  El  Paso  on  the  Southern's  track.  The 
first  train  of  the  Texas  &  Pacific  rolled  into  El 
Paso,  December  31,  1881.  January  16th,  the 
Southern— or  the  Galveston,  Harrisburg  &  San 
Antonio  Hallway —was  completed  to  Marfa,  195 
miles  east  of  El  Paso.  The  Mexican  Central, 
had  February  1  st,  1882,  over  60  miles  of  track 
laid  from  El'Paso,  south,  into  Old  Mexico.  The 
elevation  of  El  Paso,  is  3,i500  feet  above  sea 
level.  Its  population  is  about  f»,000.  El  Paso 
Del  Norte,  Mexico,  has  a  Mexican  population  of 
about  4,000. 


GRIP-SACK  GUIDEOF  COLO'RADO. 

A  COMPLETE  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  THE  STATE. 
4Sr  WiU  you  please  to  read  a  few  of  the  opinions  of  this  book  from  Coloratloans— those  mott 
competent  to  judge  of  its  merits  ? 

Indorsement  by  the  Denver  Board  of  Trade. 

George  A.  Crofutt,  Esq.— Tho  copy  of  your  "  Grip  Sack  Guide  of  Colorado,"  presented  to  this 
Board  came  duly  to  hand.  I  have  to  report  to  you  that  the  Board  of  Directors,  by  resolution,  pass- 
ed you  a  vote  of  thanks  and  expressed  the  opinion  that  it  is  the  most  complete,  concise  and  truth- 
ful book  ever  published  on  the  resources  of  our  State,  and  give  it  their  imqualified  indorsement.  To 
this  I  would  add  my  own  approval,  assuring  the  tourist,  emigrant  and  the  public  generally  who 
desire  a  most  complete  encyclopedia  of  Colorado  that  thoy  will  find  it  full  of  interest  from  begin- 
ning to  end.    Yours  respectfully,  J.  T.  CORNFORTH,  President  Board  of  Trade. 

"  The  most  complete,  most  thorough  and  reliable  guide  that  has  ever  been  offered  to  the 

community.  The  book,  which  has  nearly  200  pages  and  near  100  illustrations,  contains  in  a'con- 
densed  form  all  that  the  traveler  or  the  tenderfoot  need  to  know  about  the  wonderful  land  that  sur- 
rounds us." — Bocky  Moimtain  News,  "Denver,  Colo. 

"  The  subject  matter  is  carefully  prepared,  and  a  large  amount  of  excellent  matter  is  coi- 

densed  in  its  columns.     San  Juan  is  treated  in  a  fair  manner."— Silver  World,  Lake  City,  Colo. 

"To  the  tourist  and  traveler  the  work  is  indispensable;  in  fact,  none  traveling  over  any 

jjortion  of  Colorado,  can  afford  to  do  without  it." — Tribune,  Greeley,  Colo. 

"  Itis  tho  most  complete,  authentic  and  concise  work  ever  written  on  the  Centennial  State." 

.—Elk  Mountain  Pilot,  Irwin,  Colo. 

"  The  Grip  Sack  is  a  model  for  all  books  of  its  kind.    It  is  elegantly  and  copiously  illustrated, 

and  furnishes  the  most  valuable  information  in  tho  most  convenient  form." — Gazette,  Colorado 
Springs,  Colo. 

"  The  most  complete  work  ever  published  on  this  State,  as  the  author  has  made  personal 

t<:..ns  tlirough  the  State  and  knows  whereof  he  speaks,  and  is  also  a  man  capable  of  seeing  and 

ribing:."—Ind6j^e?irf*7?f,  Alamosa,  Colo. 

-— "  It  is  free  from  gloKs  or  'taffy'  so  often  found  in  works  of  this  kind."— San  Jtuin  Herald. 
— "  "Without  hesitation  we  pronotince  it  the  most  perfect,  complete  and  convenient  work  of 
tho  kind  that  ever  came  under  our  notice.    It  is  a  work  invaluable  to  those  visiting  the  State,  and 
of  great  interest  and  importance  to  everybody." — Mount-oineer ,  Colorado  Springs,  Colo. 

"  Itis  a  i)erfect  gem  of  typographical  art  and  is  chuck  full  of  information,  which  makes  it  a 

•  desirable  book  for  tourists  and  others  coming  into  the  State,  as  it  tells,  to  use  its  own  language. 
i«  worth  seeing,  where  to  see  it,  how  to  go,  where  to  stop  and  what  it  costs."— Sierra  Journal, 

Sack  Guide  is  published  by  The  Overland  Publishing  Co.,  of  Omaha 
paper,  magnificently  illustrated,  bound  in  fuU  clotli  and  gold,  for  the  L 
..vatiou  in  flexil'i(;  <  kii"h.    It  contains  a  complete  map  (colored;  of  the  State,  ;: 
aews  agents  on  ii  1  (T  trains  in  the  Western  connti-y. 

K^  jjon't  fail  to  buy  th  want  to  Tawiv  all  about  the  great  Centennial  State;  tjie 

■''    '  "ally'  it  of  preciom  metals  in  the  world— OVER  ^6,000,000. 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 

STAMPED  BELOW 

AN     INITIAL     FINE     OF     25     CENTS 

WILL   BE   ASSESSED    FOR    FAILURE  TO    RETURN 

THIS    BOOK   ON   THE   DATE  DUE.     THE   PENALTY 

WILL  INCREASE  TO  50 

CENTS  ON  THE  FOURTH 

DAY     AND    TO     $1.00    ON     THE    SEVENTH     DAY 

OVERDUE. 

AUG    4  1933 

SEP  22  1933 

OCT  2  4  2001 

FEB  0  3  200Z 

30Aug'56jt 

REC'D  LD 

SEP  14  1956 

22Mar*63TDi 

■66   tRCB 

YC  39095 


.  ^4/^^:^ 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  UBRARY 


<\\ '. 


